Sticy Plus XY Equals Love
by LyraKatori
Summary: Lisanna has returned from Edolas, and Natsu decides to kick Lucy off the team to replace her. Erza and Gray tell her to get out because she's weak, or she'll be hunted down by Team Natsu. What will happen when Lucy arrives in Lumiose Town, home to Fairy Tail's rival guild known as Sabertooth? Will a certain blond guy care for her and help her get stronger? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. This story was made for fun, and not for cash. (How unfortunate.)**

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At the Fairy Tail guild, Lucy sat alone at a table while she was drinking a cup of tea. Her brown eyes showed a slight bit of trouble in them while she saw many other members of the guild sitting at a faraway table where Team Natsu was located. They were listening to a story told by Lisanna Strauss, mostly due to Natsu having romantic feelings for the silver-haired mage. He always preferred her being on the team instead of Lucy, mainly because the latter was incredibly weak.

Lucy didn't have any fighting skills in close combat like Lisanna did, and she wasn't good at long-range techniques like Erza was. She couldn't even measure up to Natsu or Gray, and she was always relying on her spirits these days. The other members of Team Natsu always had to do all the work on the difficult jobs, and Natsu always had to save Lucy whenever she got captured.

The blonde mage couldn't stand the fact that she had been inferior to Lisanna, despite the fact that she hadn't even accepted Natsu's offer to join the team. Lucy had loved Natsu's company, even when he would break into her apartment to eat her food or take a hot bath. She had been ignored by him, and everyone else in the guild when Lisanna had returned from the world of Edolas.

Ever since her return, Team Natsu had been too caught up in her stories to even take a job. This meant that Lucy had to take lots of solo missions where the difficulty was at a low level with low pay. Her rent of 70,000 jewels wasn't going to be paid magically, unless she had Money Magic, but she sadly did not possess that kind of magic.

Every time Lucy returned from a job, she would be dirty and have bruises. Wendy would heal her injuries, and Levy would be concerned for her. Gajeel would talk to her for a bit, but then fall asleep in the middle of the conversation. Right now, he was off training with Pantherlily. Levy was on a job with Team Shadowgear, and Wendy was on a job with Carla. This meant that Lucy would be left alone for a while, and she sadly sighed.

Natsu shouted while he stood up and looked amazed, "Lisanna, that's so incredible! You're strong enough to take down a blizzard monster with one slash of your claws? Join my team! Take Lucy's place, please! We don't need that bitch!"

Those words made Lucy widen her cocoa brown eyes, and she froze in shock from hearing those harsh words. She could see Natsu looking at her for a split second, before turning back towards Lisanna, and he gave her a look of confidence while taking her hands in his. The young Strauss sister blushed a light shade of pink while seeing the admiring look in Natsu's eyes, and a smile slowly formed on her face.

"Of course, Natsu! I'd love to be fighting side by side with you." Lisanna replied happily, smiling a bit while she gave the fire dragon slayer a soft kiss on his left cheek.

The stellar mage looked like she wanted to scream from seeing the man she loved get kissed by a woman other than herself, and she immediately stood up from her chair with an angry facial expression. Lucy had told Natsu several times that he had been in love with her, and he had always acknowledged and respected her feelings. He even kissed her on the lips when she told him the 14th time, so this was like a total backstab to Lucy.

"Natsu, you jerk! I loved you, and I still do! This is betrayal!" Lucy yelled angrily, throwing a nearby bottle of alcohol at Natsu's head.

He replied nonchalantly while looking at Lucy with hardly any emotion on his face, "Be quiet, Luce. All you do is yell at me, and you're a useless piece of crap. On jobs, we always do the work while you hide in your clock spirit. When you get into trouble, the team gets endangered with me always saving your weak ass. Face it, Lucy. You're the weakest person in this guild, and I don't have any use for you."

Those words doused Lucy's anger, and she became saddened by the reality of what he was saying. She was always the weakest link of Team Natsu, the burden that weighed them down on the difficult jobs. When it came to a life or death situation, she wouldn't exactly be the one who could be strong enough to save the others. Even though she couldn't fight, would her love reach Natsu?

"Natsu, please... I'm in love with you. You are the man I want to be with. I really care for you, Natsu. I'm begging you right now. Please don't kick me off the team." Lucy pleaded while tears began to form in her brown eyes, her body trembling from the hallucination of Lisanna towering over her.

He seemed a bit startled by her feelings, but then his face changed to a more serious look. He didn't want Lucy on his team because of her inferiority to Lisanna. She really was worthless to him, and he proved it by mercilessly stabbing her feelings with a knife. He cupped Lisanna's face in his hands, giving her a gentle kiss to show her that he wasn't going to look back at what he had abandoned.

"Lucy, you really are dead weight to the team. Most of the time, we all get incapacitated. Even on tough jobs, you have the audacity to run away like the pathetic coward you are. You're a pawn, Lucy. You're nothing more than that, and that is something unchangeable for someone as pitiful as you." Erza explained to her while giving her a death glare.

Gray added in a cold tone, as his eyes were fixated on the blonde female as well, "Lucy, you never even help us on jobs. You always complain about sharing the reward money, but now you won't have to. You're useless, and easily replaceable. Honestly, before Team Natsu goes on our first job with Lisanna, just disappear. Come here tomorrow, and we'll chase you out of here like the weakling you are."

Hearing those brutal things from her teammates were like earthquakes making chasms in Lucy heart, breaking it apart into fragments with every word. It began to shatter slowly while Lucy's tears fell to the ground, and the shattering accelerated when she caught sight of Natsu and Lisanna kissing while they began to remove each other's clothes.

She could only feel hurt, angry, betrayed, manipulated, and more negative feelings that were tearing her heart apart. Natsu was going to the erotic level with Lisanna, just because they knew each other for so long, and he would leave Lucy on the level of flirting? Cheating was certainly wrong, and Lucy started sobbing while putting her hands over her eyes.

_"He kissed my lips.. I loved him with my deepest feelings, and he steps all over them like they're nothing... Like I'm nothing..."_ Lucy thought to herself with a look of emotional pain, before the deadly glare on Erza's face told her that she was off the team for good.

The shattered fragments of Lucy's heart began to put themselves back together, only with the memories of Team Natsu being darker. Lucy had to wonder if they were ever really her nakama, if they had only truly kept her around until Lisanna returned from Edolas. They had probably never even liked her, and every happy moment that Team Natsu ever shared with Lucy was now like one lie after another. They were now telling her to leave Fairy Tail, or suffer physical wrath tomorrow like an unwanted intruder.

She didn't even think about looking back at her teammates one last time, before running out of the guild while screaming in agony and terror from her heartbreak. Lucy didn't even want to see them around the town of Magnolia, or its surrounding areas, so she knew what she had to do for her to possibly stay alive. Lucy didn't even notice that the downpour of rain caused her hands to become wet and slippery, dropping the ring that had all of her Golden Zodiac Gate Keys on it.

When she quickly reached her nearby apartment, Lucy opened the door and ran to her desk. She wrote a note to her landlady that she would no longer be paying the rent of 70,000 jewels per month, crying while her right hand trembled slightly as it held the pen down against the white piece of paper. She was alone now, and Lucy definitely had to leave Magnolia tonight.

She had pure sadness in her cocoa brown eyes while she packed up some food and clothes into a black suitcase, wondering where she could possibly live now. It wasn't like she had friends in nearby places, and Fairy Tail would probably be searching high and low for her trail. Knowing Natsu, he'd make sure that Lucy didn't interfere in his love with Lisanna.

The blonde mage had made haste with packing everything that was needed, and she turned off the lights before leaving her apartment for good. Under the harsh and cold pouring rain, Lucy pulled her black suitcase behind her while she ran to the train station with the ambition of leaving Magnolia to find strength, nakama, and love.

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**How was the 1st chapter? It's been a while since I've written anything, and I wanted to try my hand at it again. I will update when I have free time, by the way. Criticism and reviews are appreciated, and let me know your thoughts on this story. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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Lucy had been able to sleep soundly, after crying so much from the pain that Team Natsu had inficted on her, and now she was resting in a bed that was in one of the train's luxury cabins. She had unknowingly boarded the Excess Express, a fabulous train that was mainly for rich and famous people, and the stellar mage wondered where she would be going. She had remembered the warnings from Erza and Gray about even staying in Magnolia, since Team Natsu would hunt her down and possibly try to eliminate her, so Lucy's cocoa brown eyes opened slightly while looking at the blue carpeting and brown wallpaper of her cabin.

Her eyes had a fearful look, scared that she would easily be hunted down if she didn't go far enough to where even Natsu's great sense of smell would lose her trail. She had to get away from Magnolia and its surrounding towns, so getting off at the first stop when sunrise would occur might actually be a bad idea for Lucy. She needed to run far from the negativity that would soon be chasing after her, but where could she go? Was there any place in Fiore that would be unknown to Team Natsu, even if they threatened Levy or the mages of Blue Pegasus to create a perfect map?

She had changed out of the wet clothes that she wore while coming on to the train with her black suitcase, and those clothes were getting dry while the were on the floor of the warm room. Lucy currently wore a white T-shirt and some pink shorts as her sleepwear, sighing sadly while clearly remembering all the harsh words that Natsu spoke to her. As she rested her head on the comfy brown pillow with a blue comforter covering her body, Lucy's brown eyes were filled with pain from the image of Natsu and Lisanna sharing that romantic kiss. He was definitely a cheater, since his lips had kissed Lucy's first.

The feelings of anger, depression, jealously, confusion, pain, and pure negativity kept swirling around her shattered heart. The memories of Team Natsu kept getting darker like the night, from Lucy seeing how dark the forest looked at 1:50 in the morning, and she had to hope that their search hadn't started at midnight sharp. After all, not only were the members of Team Natsu powerful, but they were skilled as well. Erza could fly at great speeds with her Flight Armor, and she could reach Lucy in no time at all. That fact made her look even more discouraged, and she groaned while trying to efface her nightmares from her mind.

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Suddenly, a catchy little tune began to play through a speaker that was in the ceiling of every single cabin on the Excess Express. It made some nearby passengers cheer with delight, leaving Lucy to wonder what could be happening right now. What was so important for people to get out of bed in the dark hours of the morning? She wasn't exactly a nighttime person who liked to party hard, and this was also her first time on the Excess Express. Thinking that it was an important announcement, Lucy slowly got out of bed and slid the brown door open by pressing her left thumb down on the door's golden handle.

She noticed that the hallway was dark, no footsteps moving about in the silence of the night, and no one was passing by right now. What had happened to the other passengers in the green section of the Excess Express? Lucy took notice of a light coming from a door to her left, which was the door for the dining room car with the gift shop in the same train car. This train really was for rich and famous people, especially since Lucy looked stunned to see Jenny Realight putting a red velvet cake on a plate and walking to a nearby table with it.

The blue-eyed woman was the current Miss Fiore, and her photos in Sorcerer Magazine had always made her look like a beautiful goddess. Her sexy poses in bikinis had made Lucy want to get her curves to be just as good as Jenny's were, and she really was a nice person. What harm could it do to talk with Jenny, the rival of Mirajane Strauss? Lucy's brown eyes twinkled with a bit of delight from seeing all of the rich-looking mages in this train car, and she tried blending in by getting a fine golden plate and putting a double chocolate cake on it from a golden food cart nearby.

"Um... Hi, Jenny. Can I eat with you, if you don't mind? What's everyone dong up now, anyway? Isn't it really late?" Lucy kindly asked with a smile while setting her plate down, pulling out the chair in front of her.

"Lucy, you've obviously never been on the Excess Express until now. It's time for Nightly Introduction Dessert, a greeting to all the nightly passengers who board the Excess Express. This train isn't like the common train that stops at any hick town in Fiore, you know. It's mostly used by the rich and famous to reach the most extravagant towns, especially Lumiose. That's where I get all my clothes from, by the way. Their style is to die for, and your style is really to cry for." Jenny explained kindly, saying things to herself about what could fix Lucy's sleepwear fashion problem and perfectly suit her.

"I know I'm ignorant for asking, but where's Lumiose Town? I haven't seen it on any maps in Fairy Tail." Lucy asked curiously, ignoring Jenny's soft suggestion about dyeing her blonde hair to a much darker color.

"Didn't I just tell you that Lumiose is extravagant, like Celadon, Goldenrod, Lilycove, Veilstone, Castelia, and other upper-class places throughout Fiore? They're not just places where anyone can go to, and some of those towns even have their own guilds as well. This train will arrive at Lumiose in eight or nine more hours, and the sights of that town really rival Crocus. The towns aren't exactly on maps for the people who aren't wealthy, and their locations are to be kept secret." Jenny said nicely while eating a slice of her red velvet cake, proceeding to mumble more with her mouth full.

At that moment, Lucy had a happy smile on her face from hearing Jenny's explanation. Lumiose Town was in a high-class place where no one could pinpoint its location, not even Natsu? It had been kept secret, and the town probably had its own guild for her to be accepted in without anyone judging her? This was definitely like a dream come true, and Lucy looked glad when she overheard two teenage girls talking about how the engineer of the Excess Express accidentally took the route to be at Magnolia's train station. Thank god that he did, or Lucy would be in quite a predicament.

She used her knife and fork to cut a slice of the delicious-looking double chocolate cake, and her mouth felt absolute heaven from the taste of the cake. It was very sweet with two kinds of chocolate, having a vanilla-flavored center as well to give its eater a nice surprise, and Lucy found herself finishing the slice while her stomach had growled with some claims of hunger. Clearly, her depression worked up an appetite.

Jenny's blue eyes had a look of being astounded, seeing Lucy go to the dessert cart for a blueberry pie with whip cream on it, and the famous model's jaw dropped a bit from seeing Lucy come back with the pie and a hot cup of sugary coffee. She was either on a sugar rush, or planning to save those sweets for later. Even though she only had the intention of shopping in Lumiose while posing for the paparazzi, Jenny smirked a bit at her curiosity making her wonder why Lucy was heading to Lumiose.

The blonde females began a discussion about shoes, and Lucy blushed an embarrassed shade of pink to know that Magnolia's style of clothing was nothing like style from the extravagant town of Lumiose. When asking Jenny about the hotels in that town, Lucy's brown eyes widened while she gasped at their high cost of rent for mages who didn't belong to the local guild or live in the town. Seeing that as a new start, Lucy began to calm down while thinking about the guild in that town. What would it be like?

Lumiose Town's guild was probably fancy with all sorts of polite and high-class mages, causing Lucy to wonder if she could really fit in the gentlemen and socialites. If the guild had a female dormitory such as Fairy Hills, but had things like a sorority where girls had to meet requirements, Lucy knew that she really would have to try and blend in with the other girls. Not only would Team Natsu be looking for her, but Lucy didn't want anyone to recognize who she was. Otherwise, sightings of her would spread like a wildfire throughout Fiore.

"Jenny, can you please tell me a few things about Transformation Magic? I really need to become stronger, and changing my appearance would be a good way to start. It's because of a personal matter, and I'd rather not go into it." Lucy asked with a pleading look in her brown eyes, not actually telling Jenny what was going on because she had a habit of gossiping like Mira did.

The current Miss Fiore looked at her with a somewhat puzzled expression, wondering what secrets Lucy could be hiding, but then she smiled while simply telling her new friend to build up magical power while having a clear mental image of who or what they wanted to transform into. Transformation Magic could also change a person's voice and scent, thus making it a handy type of magic to have. It was a basic type of magic, much like Clone Magic, but it would be effective in most situations.

Both girls finished their desserts, but Lucy hadn't touched the blueberry pie or her piping hot cup of sugary coffee. She had probably been so wrapped up in Lumiose Town and the guild that she would encounter, but the stellar mage was smart enough to take her dessert and her drink back to her cabin. As she smiled a bit while waving goodbye to Jenny, Lucy accidentally put her food on the golden cart and took it to her room.

_"Lucy's really nice, but she may end up getting fat in a few years."_ Jenny thought to herself with a sneaky look in her brown eyes, ironically eating a banana cream pie that she had hidden under the elegant white table from Lucy's view.

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**Eight hours later...**

Lucy woke up with a happy smile on her face while she slowly opened her eyes, before she let out a loud yawn and sat up in her bed. When her brown eyes scanned the room, Lucy took notice of the desserts being in a pink box for her while the golden cart of sweets was now replaced by a golden cart of food for breakfast. It had steaming sausages, eggs, bacon, pancakes with syrup bottles nearby, waffles, toast, and cupcakes as well.

She could see sunlight coming in through the window, and it gently landed on the floor of the cabin while Lucy proceeded to get out of bed. The blonde mage stretched her body out, feeling her muscles click and pop, and she walked over to the window while realizing that the outside scenery had changed from when the train had left the town of Magnolia.

The train was now on the train tracks, near an adjacent ocean, so Lumiose had to be a port town like Hargeon. Lucy smiled delightfully while seeing a few gondolas in the ocean that contained fishermen who were catching fish, and some girls were riding jet skis to reach their supposedly far-off destinations. Was that how the wealthy mages took jobs in far-off towns, not going through the forest and other vast regions like the common people?

Lucy's eyes twinkled in happiness, and she let out a soft giggle while having confidence in the assumption that Team Natsu or anyone else from Fairy Tail wouldn't even think of looking for her in Lumiose Town. After all, it was so far from Magnolia and many of the mages probably thought that Lucy could only get as far as Hargeon, Onibus, Kunugi, Oshibana, or Clover Town. Those were presumably the areas where Fairy Tail would their searches, obviously grouped by Erza's authority, so Lucy had to be wary of someone like Laxus eventually finding Lumiose Town.

_"If I want to hide from Fairy Tail, especially since Erza and Natsu will be trying to hunt me down, I need to transform and change my appearance. My scent has to change as well, or that heartless jerk will follow it easily. I still hate how he cheated on me with Lisanna, and they're probably making out right now!" _Lucy thought to herself with a determined look on her face while eating the bacon, eggs, and sausages first.

She seemed completely confident that Transformation Magic would work for her, and Lucy swallowed the meat while now catching a glimpse of the stack of strawberry pancakes on a nearby plate. As she covered them in strawberry syrup, their sweet taste was so enchanting to Lucy's mouth. She felt like heaven was being eaten by her, and it certainly was delicious. She cut the pancakes in half with a knife, and she deeply stabbed one half with fork before taking it up to her mouth. She chewed the sweet strawberry pancakes, wiping some pink frosting off of her cheek.

While she poured some hot coffee from the pot nearby into a golden cup, then adding cream and sugar to her drink, Lucy could only think about how each passing second would lead her closer to her new nakama that she would find in the guild located in Lumiose Town. Would they be accepting of her, and would they be nice people? Her heart slowly palpitated while she also wondered if it was a dark guild, and she didn't want to join a guild like that. She gulped a bit, but then pushed her nervousness aside because of her belief that a new mage couldn't be shy or moody on their first day of joining a guild.

"Attention, all passengers. This is your engineer speaking. We have now arrived in Lumiose Town. Please gather your belongings, and thank you for riding the Excess Express." The male engineer calmly announced while the catchy tune began to play again. (It sounded like Rustboro City's music from Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.)

With new ambition to join a guild, and take delight in how great Lumiose Town supposedly was from what Jenny said, Lucy put the pink box in her black suitcase before pulling her luggage behind her while she ran to the train's exit door that was past the dining room and gift shop. She was really eager to see what the town looked like, and Lumiose certainly sounded like a name that could brighten her day.

As she got off the train with her luggage, Lucy noticed how Lumiose Town looked like a sprawling metropolis with many large and elegant-looking buildings. She heard a few passengers say how they had arrived in the North Boulevard of the town, and many cafés were located near the train station. That was almost like a greeting for the wealthy people who came to Lumiose, since the cafés had the finest drinks and desserts for them to enjoy.

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Lucy stepped on to the ground that was paved with brick and cobblestone, prompting her to giggle with delight while she ran in the direction of a building that appeared to be in the town's center. It was in front of a fountain that had water elegantly flowing from it, and the blonde mage gasped in shock when the water made a familiar shape at random instances. The shape appeared to be a familiar guild mark, one that Lucy had seen before at last year's Grand Magic Games. She couldn't put the guild mark to a name, though.

She saw the guild's door open wide, a blond male and a raven-haired male stepping out with a flyer in the hands of the latter. They were Sting and Rogue, the twin dragon slayers of Sabertooth. Lucy quickly hid behind a nearby tree, and she looked utterly shocked by what she just saw. Sabertooth was the guild in Lumiose Town, and Lucy wanted to join them? Weren't they the rival of Fairy Tail, and didn't these two guilds have a harsh history with each other?

Lucy could hear the footsteps of Sting and Rogue walking towards her, and she knew they would be wondering why she had come here. Lucy hadn't erased her Fairy Tail guild mark, and she wasn't exactly powerful enough to join the guild. The boys would probably interrogate her for supposedly spying, with Sting laughing at Rogue mentally torturing her while Minerva physically abused her. Lucy didn't want that to happen, and their footsteps were quickly coming closer at a somewhat faster rate.

Not wanting to lose her only opportunity to run from her past, or risk being hunted down and killed by Team Natsu if Sabertooth contacted Fairy Tail to let them know Lucy had come all the way here, the stellar mage looked extremely scared with fear in her eyes while making the hand seals for Transformation Magic. (Similar to the Transformation Jutsu from Naruto.)

She built up some magical power within her, having a vivid image of the person she wanted to transform into, and Lucy could feel the golden glow occurring around her. In an instant, a large white cloud of smoke appeared in the air and it got the attention of Sting and Rogue. Both teens could tell that someone had just transformed, but who had done it? Why did they do it?

Sting asked curiously while the smoke began to fade away, revealing a young woman with long black hair that fell to her hips while she had violet eyes, "Whoa, lady. Who the heck are you?"

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**How was the 2nd chapter? Lucy is trying to escape from Team Natsu, and now she has! However, what will she say to Sting and Rogue? What else did she wish for in her transformation, other than a new appearance? You'll see in Chapter 3! Criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated, and let me know your thoughts on this. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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Sting and Rogue could only step back a bit from the sight of the white smoke fading away, and they could tell that someone had either used Transformation Magic or it had become undone. They were both eager to see who the person would be, and Sting looked a bit impatient while tapping his left foot slightly. Rogue narrowed his red eyes, as the smoke clouds began to get smaller, slowly revealing the person behind them, and Rogue was prepared to activate Shadow Drive if the situation called for that.

When the smoke quickly cleared up, both boys looked somewhat shocked to see a young woman with violet eyes and long black hair that fell to her hips. She wore a black leather vest with some cleavage being shown, and her stomach area was exposed. She also wore some black leather pants with some violet high heels, making her look like she was definitely stylish.

While Sting dropped his jaw at the sight of someone transforming or the transformation becoming undone, Rogue emotionlessly scanned the woman with his red eyes. She had a somewhat worried look on her face, and jumped back in fear from seeing the two males looking at her with their opposite facial expressions. It was almost like she was worried about her transformation, and she gasped softly in amazement from looking at her hair and current attire.

"Wow, lady. You're really pretty. I'm not sure what a fine woman like you is doing here, but we'll take a job from you." Sting told her with a cocky grin, flexing his muscles for her while also fixing his hair.

"What are you doing here? What is your business with Sabertooth?" Rogue sternly asked the woman, wanting to see if she was possibly a spy from Fairy Tail.

Lucy had to really wonder about what she could reply with, especially now that she knew that the guild of Lumiose Town was Sabertooth, and she feared the possibility of these two mages attacking her if she made any wrong or sudden moves. Rogue looked like he simply wanted an answer, nothing more than that, but what could Lucy possibly say? She obviously couldn't say her own name, and Rogue's stern eyes looked like he could really see through deception.

"I just got off the Excess Express, and this is my first time coming to Lumiose Town! I want to be a mage for the Sabertooth guild, please! I think you live in a very beautiful town!" She replied nicely while blushing nervously, looking directly at Rogue and then turning her attention to a flirtatious Sting.

Rogue was an expert at reading someone's body language, and he could tell that this woman was hiding a secret of some kind. He decided to not interrogate her any further, seeing how nervous she looked about being in an unfamiliar town. Her scent smelled like chocolate & peanut butter cookies, which was sweet for a presumably sweet woman like her.

"Sorry about the flirting if it made you uncomfortable, lady. I'm Sting Eucliffe, and he's Rogue Cheney. We're the dragon duo of Sabertooth, if you surprisingly don't know who we are." Sting told Lucy, looking confident to see what skills she had for her to possibly join Sabertooth.

She didn't want to admit it, but Lucy currently had no skills at the moment. Her keys had gone missing, most likely because she dropped them when she ran out of Fairy Tail, and Lucy was now nothing without her Holder Magic. She wished for some kind of great spell to appear before her, and that's when Lucy remembered hearing from Jenny that Lumiose Town had many shops. Surely an extravagant town like this one had a decent shop for spells, and there were probably books on Caster Magic as well.

Aside from that, Lucy noticed how her voice had changed when she spoke and sounded a few years older than when she was her original self with blonde hair and brown eyes. She smiled a bit from this great change, knowing that it changed along with her voice, and there was no way that Team Natsu could find her now. Her appearance wasn't even similar to how she looked in the form of Lucy Heartfilia, making it a great success.

However, with the need to learn new magic, where were the specific shops located? She wasn't exactly familiar with this town, and it's not like she had a map of Lumiose with her. On top of that, Lucy also thought about the quality of the goods in Lumiose Town. Were they really top-notch, or would they be selling the same products from Magnolia at much higher prices? Lucy didn't want to be conned by any scammers, and she actually muttered that loud enough for the ears of Sting and Rogue to hear her.

"If you're looking to get some new magic, the merchant shops are mainly located on Vernal Avenue. That's also where we're headed as well, since it's the way to Route 4 of Fiore." Sting explained with a calm smile on his face, before running south towards Route 4 at a fast pace.

Rogue told Lucy in a somewhat stern tone, as he sighed in an annoyed manner at his friend's impatience, "You'll have to excuse Sting. He's a nice person, but he can also be a bit cocky and impatient at times. Anyway, you never gave us your name."

That sentence made Lucy seem surprised, thinking Rogue had forgotten all about that, and she had to make up a name on the spot. What could it be, though? Her name had to be something that wouldn't be a dead giveaway for Rogue to know he was talking to Lucy Heartfilia, and it also couldn't sound suspicious. Her violet eyes were filled with caution, but then changed to a being more calm when she envisioned the perfect name.

After exhaling a soft breath of air, Lucy smiled happily and replied with, "I'm Serena Fennekin, and I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. Like I said, I just got off the Excess Express. Lumiose seems nice, but let's follow Sting down Vernal Avenue."

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Rogue calmly agreed with her, and they ran after Sting while trying to catch up with him. He wasn't going all the way to Route 4, since he stopped at a merchant shop for some reason. He looked like he was waiting for Lucy a.k.a. Serena to get to this shop, and even the old woman looked puzzled at the sight of Sting just standing in front of her shop while not intending to buy anything she had for sale.

Serena and Rogue quickly reached the nearby shop, with the former walking next to Sting to see why he stopped at this shop. The old woman looked happy while she noticed the raven-haired girl looking at down at eight rocks that appeared to be elemental stones. There was a Fire Stone, an Earth Stone, a Thunder Stone, a Leaf Stone, a Water Stone, a Dusk Stone, a Dawn Stone, and a Shadow Stone. These rare stones had been spoken of in rumors, despite no one actually finding them, and many people had searched all over Fiore for at least one of them.

She currently had 70,000 jewels with her, but which stone could she pick? They were all in different colors, glowing brightly with beauty, and Serena's violet eyes twinkled in delight at the thought of gaining power from even one elemental stone. Her initial thoughts told her to get the Fire Stone to help her battle Gray, but Natsu's fire-eating abilities would cause trouble. The Thunder Stone seemed like a good choice, but she also feared Laxus overpowering her if they should ever have a battle.

"Dear girl, the troubled look on your face tells me you are running from something. A boy seems to be causing your pain, so you can either focus all your time on him or look for a new dawn to come your way. The pink morning of the dawn shall be like the heavens speaking towards you, so buy the Dawn Stone. It's Holder and Caster Magic in one, child. When you use a stone's power, it's transferred to you for you to make the spells. They can be emitted from your hands, your mouth, or even in the elements themselves. I'd tell you more, but you'd know far too much." The old woman explained while she formed a smile on her wrinkly face, before chuckling.

Lucy looked somewhat confused by that last part, but she got out 10,000 jewels from the left back pocket of her black leather pants. After handing the money to the old woman, Lucy received the Dawn Stone from her. It was a light pink round stone with a darker pink star in its center, and Serena smiled in awe when it suddenly began to emit a light pink glow in her hands.

She could feel a warm energy of some kind radiating from within the Dawn Stone, and it began to bring soothing warmth to her hands. Lucy could feel the stone giving her some kind of power, so what would it be? She began absorbing the Dawn Stone's power, and a pink aura suddenly surrounded Serena's body. Sting and Rogue looked impressed by the elemental stone's ability, but what type of magic did it possess?

The violet-eyed girl looked at Sting and Rogue with a happy facial expression, having the idea that doing well on this job would get her into Sabertooth for sure, and confidence began to well up from inside her. She cheered happily while seeming psyched for this, and she gave a high-five to Sting.

"What's our job, guys?" She asked them kindly while blushing a light shade of pink.

"Whoa, there. Listen up, lady. It's not meant for all three of us, since you included yourself, so let's see what you've got. If you're good for our guild, you can join us." Sting told her with a smile, wanting to see the skills that the stone had given Serena.

When Sting said those conditional words, Lucy looked utterly determined to do well on her first job as an unofficial resident of Lumiose Town. She hoped to join the guild to gain some strength, and it would most likely have her steering clear of Magnolia and areas surrounding that town. Lucy could sense her future getting brighter, and her new identity as Serena Fennekin would help her become stronger while her dark past of sadness would slowly fade away.

Rogue informed Serena that the job would be taking place in the forest area of Route 4, and there would be many bugs on this route of Fiore. The job was to capture a mage using Insect Magic to cause trouble to people, and this person was rumored to be dangerous and put people in sticky situations. They also gave people a painful time. Ignoring the fear that shivered slightly in her legs, Serena looked determined to help her new nakama.

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**How was the 3rd chapter? I love where this story is going, by the way. Standby for the next chapter, and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. This story was made for fun, and not for cash. (How unfortunate.)**

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As Sting and Rogue walked down the dirt path of the forest with Lucy a.k.a. Serena walking behind them, she noticed how the trees were filled with various fruits and the bushes had various berries growing on them. There were grassy hills on both sides of the dirt path, and Serena giggled happily while seeing blue butterflies flutter through the air after they flew off the branches of the tree that were obscured by green leaves.

There were several bugs and birds on this route as well, making various buzzing and chirping noises while they moved about. Serena was careful enough to step back when a little red robin zoomed in front of her, and she really liked the scenery on this route. Planning to make sugar cookies to celebrate, after hoping she would do exceptionally well, Serena's violet eyes were filled with happiness while she quickly picked some berries from a nearby bush. She put them in the left pocket of her black leather pants, smiling while running to catch up with her friends.

On this job, like Rogue had informed her, the trio had to capture a mage that was using their Insect Magic to cause trouble to people who took this route to reach Odyssey Village or Santalune Town. This person had been rumored to be very dangerous, and they could get their opponents into sticky situations. They also gave people a painful time, making Serena gulp a bit when she hoped that they wouldn't be manipulating a swarm of bees.

While she decided to pick some berries from another bush, Sting slowly turned around to face Lucy. Even though she was trying her best to smile, her trembling hands really gave away how she was feeling inside. This was her first job with people from Sabertooth, and she probably didn't want to let her new teammates down. She had every right to be a little fearful, since the job didn't exactly specify how the troublemaker attacked their victims on this route.

"Hey, Serena. Listen, it's ok for you to feel nervous on this mission. After all, we don't know how skilled this guy could be with his Insect Magic. Even if he's an expert with giant spiders, just smile and watch me take them all down. If you get surrounded by bugs, my Holy Ray will eradicate them all. I won't let them touch you." Sting explained to her with a kind smile on his face, kneeling down beside her with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Lucy blushed slightly from hearing Sting's words, something that Natsu never said to her when they were on a dangerous mission together. In fact, he hadn't even cared much about her when giant monsters would chase her. He'd only think of burning them all to a crisp, regardless if the flames comically burned Lucy in the process. However, Sting was different. He didn't just single out one person, as Natsu would do only do for Lisanna, but the white dragon slayer cared about the whole team.

Serena replied happily, after picking the fruit and standing up on her feet while Sting stood up as well, "Thank you, Sting! I feel much better now, and I really feel like I can succeed on this mission with you and Rogue. I will show you that I'm worthy enough to be in Sabertooth, so let's go find that criminal!"

With her confidence now fully restored, Serena unknowingly took Sting's left hand in hers and began to run down the dirt path with him trying to keep up with her excited running. Rogue chuckled a bit from seeing that she wasn't fearful anymore, since fear always made someone weak and ineffective in battles. Now that Serena had gotten encouragement from Sting, what did she have to worry about?

* * *

Interestingly enough, that question was asked far too early. The violet-eyed girl gasped in shock while moving a few inches backwards to evade a golden arrow that hit the ground, and some black tarantulas were coming down from the trees with some kind of almost invisible thread attached to their spinnerets. Some honeybees began hovering over the trees, and Sting pushed Serena aside to efface the roadblocks.

He used his White Dragon's Holy Ray to create many beams of white light from his fingertips, and they easily destroyed the small honeybees while making smokescreens occur in the air. However, much to the trio's shock, the honey came down only on Sting's feet. He tried to move, but this wasn't the average honey. It had intense stickiness, and the honey was beginning to solidify around his feet.

_"I see. The honeybees exploded, but they released honey that honed in on its target for immobilization. On top of that, normal honey isn't so sticky. The fact that it solidified so quickly means that it's definitely infused with magical power. This has to be Insect Magic, so the criminal's around here somewhere." _Rogue thought to himself with a stern look, using Shadow Dragon's Slash to slice up some tarantulas that leapt towards him.

Serena knew she couldn't just watch everything that was going on, and she had to assist her friends. Narrowing her purple eyes at the six black tarantulas that were quickly coming towards her, she called upon the powers of the Dawn Stone. A pink aura began to surround her body, and Serena quietly focused her mind on the power of the Dawn Stone. Remembering the advice she received from the old woman, Serena had an idea of the first spell she planned to make.

"Time for the first spell, and it's called Cosmic Hearts!" Lucy a.k.a. Serena fiercely shouted with confidence in her eyes, before feeling herself shoot out six pink heart-shaped projectiles from her hands. They floated towards the tarantulas, trapping them upon slight contact, and the small heart-shaped projectiles floated upward into the sky before exploding in a pink blast that filled the sky above the forest. Pink glitter came down, as a result, and all three mages felt themselves being restored with energy.

The loud sound of the pink blast had been strong enough to make cracks in the honey that immobilized Sting, and he simply removed it piece by piece. He smirked a bit while turning around to face Serena, who was still staring in awe at the power she now possessed. She looked at the pink aura that surrounded her body, and then she gave a slight smile to Sting.

Cosmic Hearts was her weakest spell of Heavenly Body Magic, and it had the ability to trap opponents before it exploded in the air to cause much more damage. The resulting glitter was meant to heal the user's magical power and physical strength, as well as healing their allies. Serena looked confident in her abilities now, especially with that new spell at her disposal, and she then turned her eyes to what she had been waiting to see.

* * *

The user of the Insect Magic smirked evilly while standing on a faraway tree branch, her brown eyes fixated mainly on Serena for using such a creative spell to destroy the insects she had manipulated. She had brown hair, which was cut in a chin-length bob that framed her face, and brown eyes. She also had a rectangular purple marking on either sides of her cheeks. She wore a long-sleeved black top and a light purple apron-skirt, under which she wore black shorts. She also had the Fairy Tail insignia in green on her left palm with a slash mark horizontally going through the middle of the mark, along with a pair of sandals, red stockings that stopped at her thighs, and a small, red bracelet on her left wrist.

"Well, well, well. It seems I can't have some fun without some people being unkind to my bugs. That was a pretty good move, little girl, but a few lucky shots won't make you a decent mage. Konchū Hachimitsu is my name, but you won't know me for long after I wipe the floor with you." The antagonist explained in a cocky tone, before swishing around some kind of substance in her mouth.

She put her hands near her mouth to mold what appeared to be a purple substance, spitting out the ball of it into her hands, and creating a purple bow in her left hand with sharp purple arrows in her right hand. She laughed evilly while stretching the bow back to give the first arrow more tension and power, releasing it with balance to ensure that it would hit Serena. Konchū fired the other five arrows in succession, and she groaned a bit from seeing her opponent have confidence in her violet eyes.

"Let's see how you like the second spell, Heavenly Shield!" Serena yelled while looking psyched up, having instantly created this great spell.

A large pink heart-shaped shield appeared in front of the trio, having a red heart-shaped ruby in its center, and the poisonous arrows struck it directly. They didn't have enough power to actually break through the strong defensive shield, however, and something interesting began to happen. The arrows were reflected back at their archer, but they had turned into pink beams!

They headed straight for Konchū, but some of them had hit the trees and created large pink explosions in the process. Three of them were still headed towards their target, and they struck her head-on while dealing some massive damage to Konchū. Everyone covered their eyes when another pink explosion occurred, obliterating many trees and harming many bugs in its wide radius. This attack was known as Heavenly Retaliation, since it fed off of energy for its powerful strikes.

When the pink smoke faded away, everyone smiled a bit before frowning at the sight of their opponent still standing up. She was bloody and bruised from taking the explosion head-on, but she had made a giant magenta centipede take the major impact of the hit at the last second. It was screeching in pain from being badly wounded, prompting Konchū to brutally stab it with a spare poison arrow.

"Hey, lady! We're your opponents, not the giant centipede! That's disgusting to use a defenseless creature as a shield, and you're more like a low snake instead of an insect user!" Sting yelled at her while looking serious, before charging up Holy Nova on his right hand and running towards the antagonist to deliver the final blow. After all, anyone who viciously hurt a bug was a real pest. (Pun intended.)

Serena added sternly, feeling courage build up inside of her, "Even if you're a mage of Fairy Tail, or an ex-mage, don't ever let me see your stupid guild insignia around here again! Let's finish this with the fourth spell, Cosmic Comeuppance!"

In an instant, the sky began to turn pink like bubblegum and red clouds began to swirl around in a circle above Route 4 of Fiore. They looked ominous enough to even send some swarms of Beedrill into hiding, and everyone watched in amazement as a large pink meteor came down from the center of the vortex and struck the spot where Konchu was standing. Its destructive force was enough to decimate most of the forest, and the large pink blast of heavenly energy blinded the eyes of the protagonists for a few minutes. (Just for the record, Beedrill exist in the Fairy Tail universe for comic relief in some situations.)

Sting thought to himself, dropping his jaw at the sight of many trees destroyed and rocks crumbling, _"Damn, that's some spell that Serena pulled off. Wow. I didn't even think she could make a move like that."_

Not only had the antagonist been obliterated by the powerful attack, but her body was also crushed by a fallen tree. Serena put her hands over her mouth, thinking that she would be in deep trouble for killing a criminal, but Rogue smiled calmly and assured her that the police officer who patrolled Route 4 could identify Konchū as a dark mage. After all, slashing the mark of a light guild did technically identify that person as a dark mage.

Serena still walked over to Konchu's body, pulling out a green wallet from the right pocket of her black shorts, and discovering that it was filled with 600,000 jewels. Clearly, she was a thief who had been stealing while making trouble for people passing by on Route 4. Well, at least all of her stolen money was now in good hands. Seeing no other reason to stay here, Lucy a.k.a. Serena ran back over to Sting and Rogue with a happy smile on her face.

"600,000 jewels, guys! We got rich, just like that! We can share it evenly between the three of us, and I have no complaints!" Serena told her new nakama, cheering happily while she looked at them both while blushing a light shade of pink.

Sting told her in a relaxed manner, folding his arms while the look of shock changed to a confident smirk, "Well, Serena. You sure did pretty good today... and I know you'll do good on our next job tomorrow. You sure surprised us, and you deserve to be in Sabertooth."

She joyfully hugged Sting tightly, having gotten his approval to join the guild that resided in Lumiose Town, and the raven-haired girl smiled brightly while having a feeling that things really would look up for her.

* * *

**30 minutes later...**

Not wanting to look a bit clichéd or seductive in her transformation, Lucy had gone inside the Boutique Couture on Vernal Avenue to buy some clothes when Sting and Rogue weren't looking. She also wanted to buy some actual chocolate cookie perfume, one that would make her less of a target if anyone with a good nose tried to describe her before they encountered mages from Fairy Tail.

She was currently in one of the fitting rooms of the Boutique Couture, trying on some clothes that were definitely in her size. She had already paid for them, of course. Lucy a.k.a. Serena looked at herself in the mirror while she put on a pink hat with a cute black bow on it, a black T-shirt, a red miniskirt, and some black leggings that were high enough to cover her knees. She wore some black flat shoes, too. Quite fashionable, wouldn't you agree?

When Lucy exited the fitting room, she looked utterly shocked to see Sting standing there while he had secretly taken all of the berries she picked on Route 4 of Fiore. He had put them in a wooden basket for her, eating a pink Pecha Berry while looking at her outfit from head to toe. She looked slightly annoyed at him eating one of the berries she picked, wanting to make a Pecha cookie with that.

"Sting, I was going to make cookies with that berry! They only taste good from natural berries, you know!" Lucy protested, taking the basket of berries away from her blond companion.

"You can make cookies and all sorts of desserts with apples and gummy candy too, Serena. It's quite simple, really. Speaking of cookies, bake some at the free-for-all bakery on Autumnal Avenue. I hope you have good baking skills, since you're a new member of Sabertooth, and you were really good today. You're pretty skilled, Serena, and those cookies might be good."

Wanting him to lead her there, since Lucy was still new to Lumiose, she motioned for Sting to accept her hand and she walked beside him while feeling that she really did have a new friend. Sting had been so encouraging to her on the job today, and Lucy really liked the fact that he cared enough to put the berries in a basket for her. Fitting in as a Sabertooth mage would be a little difficult, but Lucy didn't feel nervous with her new friend Sting by her side.

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**How was the 4th chapter? Just to clarify, Lucy's spirits will be in this story. They'll be seen later on, though. Anyway, what will happen when Lucy doesn't expect the unexpected to be seen in Lumiose? Will she have to tell Sting the truth? How shall he react? You'll see in Chapter 5! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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The next morning, Sting headed out of the Sabertooth guild to go do another job since Rogue had been needed elsewhere by another client. He had guided Lucy a.k.a. Serena to the free-for-all bakery on Autumnal Avenue yesterday, but she hadn't shown up to the guild for her to officially ask and possibly celebrate about joining the guild. Her skills had been good in the battle on Route 4, but where had she gone to?

Knowing that Autumnal Avenue was northwest of the Sabertooth guild, the white dragon slayer smirked calmly and walked in that direction to find his new companion. Something told him that she wasn't exactly in any danger, but it wouldn't hurt to see if anything suspicious was going on. He also remembered the woman who gave Serena the Dawn Stone, so had she headed there for more types of magic?

_"Wherever she went, I hope Serena didn't get lost in Lumiose Town. She's probably in the park or something." _Sting thought to himself, as he reached Autumnal Avenue.

This part of Lumiose Town had a boutique for buying Capsule Balls, since some mages got their magic from absorbing the energies of certain animals, and the Capsule Balls worked in a similar manner to Celestial Spirit Keys. There was also a café known as Lumiose Mon Amie, a juice shop, a two-star restaurant, and there was a bakery nearby with sweets displayed in the window.

The smell of many dozens of cookies was stronger than the scents of all the other desserts being made, which Sting found odd. Using his nose, he walked towards the bakery while the smell continued to get stronger. The cookies smelled like they were in different flavors as well, but was Serena the one making them? Sting began to run, however, hoping nothing was burning or hoping that none of the cooking equipment damaged Serena.

Much to his shock, when he arrived in the bakery, Sting found Serena sleeping soundly on the couch that was for the guests who were baking overnight. All the ovens had been turned off, the cooking equipment neatly put away in every respective area, and Sting's blue eyes caught sight of something glorious. The cookies were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black, and white. There were 100 cookies of each color, on 10 different metal trays covered with foil, and they emanated heat to inform Sting that they were fresh from the oven.

He cautiously looked back at Serena, making sure that she was still sleeping, and Sting chuckled a bit while putting his hand under the foil that covered the tray of pink cookies. He had seen this color for a cookie before, knowing they were made with Pecha Berries, and they were said to be delicious. He took two of the hot cookies from the tray, and Sting bit into it with his fanged teeth. He ate off a huge chunk of it, easily chewing the Pecha cookie, and it made his blue eyes become filled with delight upon tasting how sweet the cookie was.

Sting ate more of his cookie, feeling the sweetness amplify within his mouth, and he tried his best to not cheer excitedly. Still, Sting wanted to congratulate Serena for making such a delicious treat. He didn't know that her baking skills were at such a high level, so what other way could there be to really exalt the creator of such fine desserts? Besides, if the Pecha cookies were good, the others probably had to be just as superb.

"Serena, wake up! Your cookies are great! Seriously, tell me the recipe!" Sting shouted with an excited smile on his face, running over to the couch and putting the uneaten cookie in his friend's mouth.

She exclaimed in a shocked manner while being able to chew the cookie as she woke up, "Sting, you scared me! Don't give me such a rude, yet sweet awakening! My cookies are really good!"

She swallowed the chewed up treat in her mouth, giggling a bit while it went down her esophagus with ease, and Sting also swallowed what he had been eating. Serena got off the couch, raised her arms high above her head, and she put on her nice pink hat. She walked over to the long table of baked cookies, and her violet eyes happily twinkled from seeing how they all turned out in terms of appearance. They didn't look too mushy or too hard, prompting the raven-haired girl to happily cheer about her culinary success.

Sting told her while smirking at her, remembering the flyer he took from the Sabertooth guild, "Anyway, guess what. I got a job for us, Serena. Apparently, we have to hunt down another criminal. She doesn't appear to be strong, though. However, the reward is 700,000 jewels."

"I wonder who it could be, Sting." Lucy a.k.a. Serena wondered curiously, thinking a high reward like that wasn't really deserved for catching a weak criminal.

* * *

When he handed the flyer to Serena, her eyes widened in shock from what she was seeing. There was a picture of the supposed criminal, and she had brown eyes and blonde hair. She was also from Magnolia, and the reward would be given by Makarov from Fairy Tail. There was no indicated location to really tell where this girl was, but her name made Serena tremble in fear. This girl's name was Lucy Heartfilia, and Team Natsu's flyer had unfortunately ended up getting sent to Lumiose Town.

Her heart palpitated wildly, especially from knowing that her new friend Sting had taken this job. If she told him who she really was, how would Sting react? Would he capture her and send her back to the guild that she feared the most? Serena didn't want to go back to that place, and even imagining Natsu's angry face made her breathe anxiously.

She kept imagining that Fairy Tail was on her trail, wanting to maliciously kill her for being so weak, and Erza would probably be ruthless with every strike that she delivered. Gray would probably freeze Lucy solid, and Lisanna would brutally slash at her while making fatal wounds appear on her body. They wanted her to be dead, and Team Natsu would stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you shaking like a leaf, Serena?" Sting asked while looking concerned, seeing his friend fall to her knees and look like she was close to tears.

"I can't hold it in any longer! I can't lie to my new nakama, Sting! I'm Lucy Heartfilia, ok?! I used Transformation Magic! That was me yesterday, and I did all this because Team Natsu kicked me off the team and said they'd kill me the next day! Natsu even cheated on me, too! That's why I've tried to hide out here, far away from Magnolia, but now it looks like I can't live anywhere without pain following me! I can't take all the humiliation anymore!" Lucy shouted while crying, dispelling her transformation for Sting to see who she really was.

At first, Sting could only be shocked at what he was seeing. The girl he was now trying to comfort was the same girl that Fairy Tail called a criminal? He had some thoughts about turning her into Fairy Tail for questioning, but he knew in his heart that he really couldn't do something like that. Lucy was crying because of what Natsu and his friends did, and they would probably maul her if she ever returned to the guild.

He snatched the brown flyer away from her, quickly tearing it into pieces, and Sting felt ashamed for even picking that job. It caused Lucy so much discomfort, and now she was crying while looking like she might die any second now. Sting, seeing no other way to comfort her, did the one thing that he could do. He knew that words would only hurt Lucy more, so he did a very kind thing.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, as he knelt down beside her, Sting gave Lucy a big hug. He hugged her with all of his kindness, and she suddenly began to stop all of her bawling. Lucy looked at Sting with curiosity in her eyes, but then she began to calm down from looking into his relaxing blue eyes. She felt all of her bad thoughts melt out of her mind, his eyes capturing her focus like they were entrancing her.

Lucy unknowingly blushed cherry pink while looking into Sting's eyes, and a smile began to appear on her face while she sighed happily. After closing her eyes, Lucy could feel Sting patting her back and running his fingers through her hair.

"Natsu must be a real jerk to hurt a nice girl like you, Lucy. He really threw out a strong person, since you really did well on the job yesterday. I know we haven't seen all your abilities yet, but that's fine. I'll help you get stronger, and you'll never have to worry. Just don't cry, Lucy, because tears ruin a pretty face. When you feel like you're in the darkness, don't feel all alone. I'm your new friend, and I'll be here for you." Sting explained to Lucy, hearing her begin to softly snore from baking all those cookies overnight.

She replied with a smile while eating a red velvet cookie that had a wonderful taste to it, "I'm glad that you'll help me, Sting. I do need more confidence in myself, too."

"Although, your transformation skills weren't that great. I didn't want to say it, but your technique would've fallen apart at your level of strength. You need more elemental stones, Lucy. Instead of buying them, they can be found in many places." Sting responded kindly, smirking a bit.

He had taken a second flyer from the Sabertooth guild, just in case the first job couldn't be done, and Sting took it out of his left pants pocket. After unfolding it neatly, he showed her that the job was asking for two mages to find a gem that had been dropped clumsily in an old mansion. This job seemed perfect for Lucy, having the healing abilities of the Dawn Stone, so she could heal ghosts if their spirits were filled with resentment.

However, before she could run out the door or even cheer, Sting sternly informed her that offensive, defensive, assisting, and immobilization spells weren't enough. He was going to teach her how to properly transform, and how to properly make clones of herself in a situation involving multiple opponents. Lucy happily smiled at the prospect of transforming into a much more beautiful girl, still wanting to avoid Team Natsu for a while, and she really did wish to become stronger.

* * *

**At the Fairy Tail guild...**

Erza paced back and forth while standing in front of a table where Natsu and Lisanna were sitting, and she looked frustrated at the fact that Lucy hadn't ben captured yet. Seriously, how far had she gone from Magnolia. Natsu hadn't found a trace of her in Hargeon, Lisanna couldn't find her in Clover Town, and Gray had just left for Onibus Town to search for Lucy.

_"She couldn't have gotten far without her keys. There's no way." _Erza thought to herself, sternly glaring at the ten Zodiac Gate Keys on the table. She had found them outside on the same night that Lucy ran away from the guild, and Erza's best bet was that Lucy would come back for them.

Suddenly, the guild's entrance doors opened wide with Mirajane walking through them with a happy smile on her face. She giggled a bit at the sight of Natsu and Lisanna making out, but then she turned to Erza with a confident look on her face.

"I searched the far-east part of Fiore, mainly Lumiose Town for Lucy. I couldn't find her yesterday, but I saw something interesting." Mira told Erza with a happy smile, brushing some dirt off her dress.

"What was it?" The scarlet-haired mage wondered in a bored manner, thinking it was completely irrelevant.

"You know how we've also been looking for the Elemental Stones, right? On Route 4 yesterday, I saw a mage being taken down by what appeared to be power from a stone. According to what I saw as a Vivillon, even though the blast's impact hurt a bit... the stone is in the possession of a girl with black hair and violet eyes.

* * *

**How was the 5th chapter? Sorry if it's not action-packed yet. I'm just trying not to rush anything. Anyway, Lucy will have more spells from the Dawn Stone in the next chapter! Still, will she become stronger? Are more plot twists involved? Standby for Chapter 6!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting and I had gone down Route 13 of Fiore, a route with a simple dirt path and purple-leafed trees, and we were now on our way to search for a purple gem inside of a decrepit mansion that had been abandoned for a really long time. It had been rumored to have ghosts lurking around, something that sent shivers up and down my spine, but I had to be brave. After all, Sting had taken this job to help me get stronger. He would be there with me, thankfully.

The area was actually darker than I anticipated it to be, the trees large above us while they blocked out the sun. Seriously, who would be in an old mansion? It didn't exactly seem like a place for playing, and the mansion itself could be seen up ahead. Whatever awaited us inside would certainly be something to see, and I tried my best to keep the image of a scary Gengar out of my head. Its smirk always freaked me out when Natsu took the team on jobs to decrepit buildings.

As the mansion came into view, my violet eyes widened in amazement from seeing that the mansion was a massive, two-story purple building living up to its owner's presumably dark and shadowy attitude in appearance, and seemingly consisting of a single parallelepipedal structure, from which other parts protrude on its top. The walls were split into several, rectangular sections by a number of flat pillars protruding from the wall, which possessed capitals, whose shape was reminiscent of wings, topping them where they sustained either the horizontal frames separating the first floor from the second or the highest part of the main section, adorned by battlements.

Similar battlements were also found on top of the arched entrance porch, under which sat the double door, granting access to the building, with an arched glass part topping the door, acting as a semicircular window. The façade was adorned by a number of thin, elongated windows, ending on the top in an arched part, which housed a stylized heart formed by the frame. On the top of the building, in the center, sprouted a square tower adorned by a very large, heart-shaped rose window, with some white bas-reliefs in the form of clouds sitting below it.

Such structure was topped by a round lavender dome, bearing a metal decoration yet again shaped like an heart on its top, and similar ones on the edges, sitting on golden spheres, plus more hearts on the dome itself. Flanking such towers were two more, approximately the same height, sitting on the facades' edges, possessing roofs with arched frontal parts, and seemingly sprouting several chimneys from them. Two more towers with round domes topped by hearts were visible in the back part of the building.

This mansion was actually quite elegant on the outside, but would it be horrible and broken down on the inside? I didn't exactly feel like searching through piles of rubble for the gem, scared of finding ghosts or something freaky that would pop out at me. I tried my best to not have my legs shaking like jelly, not wanting to be nervous anymore, but there was something strange about this mansion that gave me the creeps.

Sting noticed my discomfort quickly, his blue eyes turning towards me, and what happened next was simply kind of him. He took a purple sugar cookie out of his left pants pocket, and he handed it to me while chuckling a little. I had made the purple cookies with Kasib berries that I found on Route 4, and Kasib berries would amplify the sweetness of the cookie.

"That's delicious! Thank you so much, Sting!" I told him with a smile on my face, taking a bite out of the cookie while chewing it in my mouth. Had he sensed my distress about the old mansion?

"You're welcome, Lucy. It's not good to freak out, otherwise you won't be able to concentrate and be successful on a job. Whatever comes our way in there will be taken care of by the great Sting Eucliffe, and even a ghost will be scared of me." He replied to me with a cocky smirk on his face, grinning at me like he really could handle the darkness, before running off towards the mansion.

I couldn't see it on my face, but something about Sting actually caused me to blush. Was it his grin? Was his blond hair so appealing? Were his good muscles making me get a little bit warm? I let out a soft giggle, running to catch up with Sting while knowing I had to do well on this job with him. Still in my disguise as Serena Fennekin, I vowed to not be a burden to my new nakama.

* * *

**Sting's POV**

Getting to this old mansion was easy, and I managed to smirk while preparing to kick open the door to show off my coolness to Lucy. She looked pretty cute in her disguise as Serena, and it was probably natural for her to fear ghosts. After all, I didn't even know what would be inside this mansion. I couldn't hear anyone moving around within the house, so it definitely was abandoned.

Stepping back a bit, as I saw my raven-haired companion catch up with me, I forcefully tried kicking open the door... only to have the front doors mysteriously open and leave me falling flat on my face since I couldn't exactly maintain my balance on one foot. Was this place automatic? Impossible, really, especially for an old mansion like this one. As I got back up, Serena giggled while smiling at me.

"It looks like the door messed with you, Sting." She sweetly told me while walking inside, taking soft steps.

"Well, I'll have to destroy it when we're done to get even." I replied, smirking with confidence in my blue eyes.

This mansion really was dark on the inside, having a foyer that was only a tiled lavender floor with brown wallpaper covering the walls, and there was a staircase leading up to the second floor of the house. Above the nearby doorways were paintings of a purple-haired woman holding a doll that looked similar to an Espurr, but that was nothing to freak out about. Still, where the heck was the light switch?

Taking one step forward to look, I gasped in shock at the sight of the doors suddenly closing with a loud slam. That made Lucy a.k.a. Serena jump into my arms, having a frightened look on her face, and I could tell that she was really afraid of this place. However, the chandelier above us began to illuminate the foyer with a golden light. Seriously, was this old mansion equipped with automatic features?

We still had to find the purple gem, lying somewhere in this house, and we'd probably have to search every inch of this place. My blue eyes caught sight of a doorway on the left of us while there was another doorway on the right. My face had a look of reluctance, even though my simple idea would cover more ground, and I slowly turned to Lucy while frowning somewhat.

"Listen, we have to split up to search this house faster. It'll make the job go at a swift pace, you know." I explained to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to give Lucy some comfort.

Lucy loudly responded while looking scared, trembling a bit, "Sting, no way! Absolutely not! This place could be filled with ghosts, for heaven's sake! I don't want to run into a ghost at all, ok?!"

"If either of us finds the gem, we'll holler to the other for them to hear. That's a good plan." I assured her, taking her left hand into my right hand while putting a small white ball of light in her hands to act like a candle that she could use when she was alone in the dark.

"You're right, Sting. I feel much safer now, and I already promised myself that I would not be a burden to you on this mission. Don't worry about me because I will do my best to help my new nakama, and that's a promise." She answered back to me, a bit of confidence filling her violet eyes before she went to the hallway on the right while I went to the hallway appearing beyond the left doorway.

I activated White Drive to give myself some light, since my vision wasn't that great in the dark, and I could see that the first brown door to my left was open with somebody playing a beautiful melody on what appeared to be a large ebony piano. Well, somebody really was here. I guess that's how the lights had managed to turn on by themselves. I wanted to ask the person a question about the gem, as I went towards the ebony piano, but something took me by surprise. The 88 white piano keys were moving, the music sheets turning, and no one was sitting on the black rectangular piano stool.

There was no pianist in the conservatory, and all the instruments soon began to turn on and play music that sounded similar to the tune in the secret levels from Super Mario Sunshine. The saxophone, trombone, drums, xylophone, vibraphone, harp, three kettle drums, and a cello began to play in tune with the ebony piano, greatly startling me. I didn't want to believe Lucy's claims about ghosts being in this mansion, but there was no way that something like this could be done by automatic switches. I hightailed it out of that room, and closed the door while looking utterly disturbed.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting's ball of white light made things bright for me while I walked down the hallway, turning knobs on the door, but the doors had all been locked like they needed keys. Really, who abandons a mansion without leaving the keys in an obvious place for visitors to see the rooms? I looked frustrated right now, but nearly screamed when I saw a white mouse scurry by into a hole in the wall. Covering my mouth with my hands, I tried my best to not scream while my heart palpitated wildly from seeing that animal.

My purple eyes had some fear in them, but I could see light shining from a room to my right at the end of the hallway. The door was obviously open with no curtains on the window, so there had to be a reason for that. Mansions don't get abandoned with a door left open, from what Erza once told me on a job. I still looked for the purple gem, but it wasn't in the hallway in plain sight.

As I got closer to the room, I could see that it was like a playroom with its train set, Pikachu-themed slide, plush dolls of Beedrill, and some blocks that floated in midair while being stacked to make a little house. There were also dice being rolled on the green carpet as well, a billiard table with the stick shooting the triangle of billiard balls, and a roulette spinning around with the white ball in it. Some cards were also being shuffled, too.

Then, the feeling of fear reached me once again while I looked freaked out. Why in the world were all of these items moving on their own? A small purple ball came rolling towards me, and I picked it up while my hands trembled nervously. My breath began to get colder, almost like the temperature dropped a bit by 10 degrees Celsius, and I felt the presence of someone behind me. Quickly turning around, I prepared to use the Cosmic Hearts spell to strike whoever was behind me.

However, much to my surprise, no one was there. If so, what was with the temperature suddenly dropping like that? There was no thermostat in the room, and I hadn't seen anyone in the mansion. I hadn't heard anyone else's footsteps in this place, so what caused that? If it was like Ice Magic, would Gray be here? Had he found out my location, waiting for me to tell Team Natsu?

Nodding my head in disagreement with that thought of paranoia, my purple eyes scanned the room to try and sense someone else's presence in the room. They weren't behind me, they weren't in front of me, they weren't to my left, and they weren't to my right, so where on earth could they be? My senses kept telling me something, but what was their message for me?

Suddenly, the purple gem came dangling from some kind of pink rope from the ceiling. Well, it actually wasn't a purple gem for it to be a stone with a lavender crescent moon in its center. I remembered seeing this thing from the old woman selling the stones on the Vernal Avenue of Lumiose City, and this was a Dusk Stone. Had the client mistaken this for a purple gem?

Seeing it in plain sight like this, I quickly reached for the Dusk Stone with my left hand. However, the pink rope suddenly retracted upward like a bungee cord. As I looked up at the ceiling, I nearly froze in pure fear at the sight of a dark purple, bipedal creature with a roundish body. It had red eyes and a wide mouth that was curled into a sinister grin. Multiple spikes covered its back, and it had large pointed ears. Its arms and legs were short with three digits on both its hands and feet. It also had a stubby tail, too. There's no doubt about it. Just like when exploring decrepit places with Team Natsu, this was a Gengar.

"Gegeh!" It shouted at me while smirking and licking my face with its cold tongue. I shuddered in pure disgust at this playful or devious act that Gengar was doing, and I decided to make a fifth spell with the Dawn Stone's power. This spell was called Cosmic Cloud, and its effect would greatly assist me. A pink cloud appeared underneath Gengar, sending a small pink beam of light upward towards it, but it simply disappeared quickly.

The shadowy creature reappeared behind me, and I activated the sixth spell. This attack was known as Cosmic Sneak, and it made a star-shaped beam go towards Gengar from behind at high speeds. I smirked at the sight of the beam hitting Gengar in the back, making that attack seem super effective, and the purple creature crashed into the wall with some smoke appearing as a result of my spell.

Before I could even make another move, Gengar used a spell known as Dark Pulse. It snickered mischievously at me, shooting out a black orb from his mouth with black rings spinning around it, but I countered by using my seventh spell. This move was called Cosmic Conversion, and it made Gengar's attack turn from black to pink while curving away from me and heading back towards the mouth of its creator. The now pink Dark Pulse created a large pink blast that made a gaping hole in that wall, making my jaw drop from seeing its power, but Gengar had disappeared once again.

As it appeared directly in front me, giggling more, I shouted fiercely while glaring at it, "Listen, you! I'm not here to fight you or play around! I just want the Dusk Stone you have in your mouth!"

At that moment, Gengar gave me a rather playful look while pointing to the top of my head. Touching my black hair gently, a felt a round object on top of my head. As I put it in my hands, my violet eyes were filled with cheer from seeing that it was the Dusk Stone. I had acquired my second magical stone, and who knows what kind of powers this one had?

Sting came running into the room, obviously having heard the blast, and he looked concerned for me when he saw that I was face to face with the creature that I once feared greatly.

"Is everything ok here, Lucy?" He asked calmly, smiling somewhat at the sight of Gengar playing with some building blocks now.

"I'm fine, Sting. The job is complete, and we got a Dusk Stone as well. This is great, and I'm glad you convinced me that everything would be okay. Anyway, let's get out of here." I told him with a smile on my face, before running out of the mansion with my left hand holding his right hand.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Erza's POV)**

I seriously couldn't believe what I was hearing from Gray's mouth right now, as he entered the Fairy Tail guild with a frown on his face while he spoke. Lucy wasn't in Onibus Town, but how could that be? She couldn't possibly get far without her Celestial Spirit Keys, and there's no way that she could've gotten far in only two days. Natsu was currently trying to smell for her trail outside, and I hoped that he would have some luck.

Mirajane told me with a teasing smirk on her face, joking about the situation, as I sat down on a barstool while she wiped a beer mug "Erza, you're really not that great of a leader. You only searched the nearest places, but Lucy could be pretty far away by now. I mean, anything could've happened to her by now. 48 hours is a pretty long time, if you ask me."

I replied harshly, knowing that couldn't possibly be the case, "Mira, that is impossible. Lucy will be hunted down for how she acted towards me and the other members of Team Natsu, and we'll make sure she goes down. If we can't search near, we must go far."

**How was the 6th chapter? This StiCy is still coming along! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

The day had finally arrived for me, my heart beating wildly with anticipation, confidence filling my violet eyes while my fists were clenched tightly with a fierce motivation to not embarrass myself. Sting stood beside me, smirking arrogantly, confidence while we looked at the building situated in front of us. This was the Sabertooth guild, and it was located in the center of the town that was known as Centrico Plaza.

The building was identified by a large red banner, covered in lines and sporting light edges, which bears the guild's symbol, held up by an horizontal staff secured via a chain to a metal ring, adorned by fang-like protrusions, which topped the high pole sustaining the emblem.

Sabertooth's headquarters itself appeared to be a very large saffron-colored complex consisting of several structures joined together. Some of them were even sitting on top of the others, generating an imposing, elongated structure vaguely reminiscent of an odd pyramid adorned by a multitude of facades, windows and pillars, as well as by some pointed towers protruding upwards from its upper part. Topping the whole structure was a massive gold statue portraying the animal which is the guild's namesake, a saber-toothed cat with its jaws open.

The guild itself looked a bit intimidating, but I knew that had to walk through those entrance doors to finally meet the master of Sabertooth and show my worth to everyone. If I didn't try my hardest, I would be just as weak as I was when I was a part of Fairy Tail. I had to summon my courage, having it at its maximum level, otherwise I would falter. Knowing I hadn't come all the way to Lumiose Town for nothing, I clenched my fists and turned to Sting with ambition making its way into my violet eyes.

"Sting, I can't be afraid here. After those two jobs we did together, I won't let fear get the best of me." I told him with a confident smile on his face, taking a few steps back.

"All right, Lucy! That's how you do it! Show no fear, and just go for it!" He replied calmly, maintaining his smirk while he winked at me to show his support.

Taking a deep breath in and exhaling the air out, I began running towards Sabertooth's front doors to make a grand entrance with a Lucy Kick. Actually, I'd now have to call that a Serena Kick. My feet helped me run towards the guild at fast speeds, my legs moving quickly, and I could something in my left fist build up with fierce power that mde me feel good. Was it Sting's encouragement? If so, I had to thank him later.

I almost managed to reach the brown doors, but they suddenly began to open in front of me at a slow pace. Being caught off guard by that unexpected person opening the doors, I tripped and fell flat on my face. I had made contact with the pavement, but I didn't feel any natural bruises or harsh blows to my nose or mouth. Were the healings powers of the Dawn Stone really this strong?

Hearing someone tap their foot in an impatient manner, as if they waited for me to get up, I looked up from the fancy blue high heels to see a woman in Eastern-looking attire. She wore a strapless blue dress highly reminiscent of a "Cheongsam". This was shown to possess a large slit in correspondence to Minerva's left leg, exposing it all up to her thigh, and comes secured to her body by a number of dark laces on the back and to her right side, exposing a part of her right breast's back side,[6] and by a line of metal fasteners taking the shape of two horizontally-placed triangles with their bases linked together on her front left side.

Her outfit was completed by a pair of shoulder-length blue ornamental gloves again bearing dual colors, dark on the arm and hand's lower part and light on the upper one,[5] and blue high heels reaching up to her middle calves. She looked at me with a stern glare, not even picking up the cute pink hat that fell off my head. Her long, straight and glossy black hair reached down to her lower back while mostly left loose, being parted in the middle of her forehead and sported two bangs that framed her face and went down below her shoulders. Her hair was also tied into a pair of bun-shaped loops at both sides of her head, and a braid was present some inches below each of such loops.

Right now, I looked like a clumsy fool in front of the woman who really struck fear into my heart. She was Minerva, and she had beaten me up pretty badly in the Naval Battle last year. I still have nightmares about her, and they worsen each time with darkness and pain. Of course, she currently didn't know that I was Serena Fennekin. Hopefully, this klutzy move wouldn't look too bad to her or anyone else who was watching.

"Wow, look what we have here. I'm ready to go out on a job, and I find some pathetic fool falling flat on her face like an idiot. If you're this stupid, your magic must really suck." She told me in a harsh tone, looking down at me with a teasing smirk like I was lower than her.

As I managed to stand on my own two feet, Sting came from behind and helped me up like a real gentleman. He had his arms around my waist to give some assistance, and I blushed a bit upon noticing how strong and warm his hands felt against my waist. My blush was pink, causing me to slightly giggle, and I nearly gasped when my left hand was touching his rock-hard abdominals. Wait, am I letting my little feelings from the mansion try to grow?

Getting back my focus, I countered Minerva's statement while glaring back at her with my eyes narrowed, "I'm not stupid at all, and my magic is not weak! My name's Serena Fennekin, and I'll crush you with one of my spells!"

"I am Minerva Orlando, the guild master's daughter, and I approve of the people who join us. You don't look so tough, Serena, so why would we need you? This isn't exactly a guild where you get babied and learn things while people hold your hand. Ever since that garbage guild named Fairy Tail won the last Grand Magic Games, we've had to get merciless. That doesn't seem to fit you at all." She explained to me, smirking deviously at me with a condescending look in her green eyes.

"You really shouldn't underestimate me, you know! I'll take on anyone, since that's how I'll get better!" I shouted back, ready to punch this girl right in the face for seeing me as a pathetic loser.

* * *

**Minerva's POV**

At that last sentence she uttered, I really wanted to laugh. Did this girl seriously take us for being rowdy hooligans like those fools from Fairy Tail? We certainly didn't settle things like in Sabertooth, and getting in here was like trying to enter a sorority or a fraternity. She would have to complete a few tasks first, but what could I really get this rookie to do?

All of my errands for the day were done, really, and I couldn't think of a single task for her to do. However, something about her made my green eyes fixate themselves on her skirt pockets. She pulled out a pink stone and a purple stone, respectively known as a Dawn Stone and a Dusk Stone. Those were two of the legendary Elemental Stones, rarities that were tough to come across in Fiore. For her to have two in her possession... This was interesting to me.

"Tell me something, Serena. Have you used both stones at once?" I asked sternly, shooting a venomous glare at her that even sent Orga running away in fear at times.

"No, Minerva. I just found the Dusk Stone yesterday, and I've been sleeping in a bakery ever since I arrived in this town a few days ago. I had no idea that two stones can be used at once." Serena replied in an amazed tone of voice, curiously looking down at the stones she held in her hands.

Her right hand squeezed on the purple Dusk Stone, causing it to emit a violet glow, and something began to happen to Serena. A purple aura surrounded her body, almost like the Dusk Stone had entrusted her with its Darkness Magic, and Serena began to suddenly have a dark smirk on her face. She had her black hair obscuring her violet eyes, and she put her hands together to concentrate.

I didn't think that it would be something to be in awe over, but she suddenly aimed her left palm upward at the sky. She fired a purple beam of energy into the air, and it created a strong blast of Darkness Magic in the air with violet beams coming down towards the ground. This spell was called Dark Payback by her, and the violet beams made miniature purple explosions occur when they hit the ground.

Well, that wasn't anything really impressive. I mean, anyone could use flashy attacks. Sting was smiling at her, almost like he was praising her for doing a move that I considered to be amateur-level. She used a second spell that was known as Violent Violet Ring, an attack that made a purple ring of Darkness Magic occur, and this ring went into the sky before creating a multitude of small purple blasts that forced gravity down on the ground.

"A Dusk Stone has greater power at night, sadly. Your spells may look strong, but they're only at their weakest level right now. You really are a rookie, Serena. Even a smart wizard knows not to use a Dusk Stone during the day, so I suggest you come back later when you're much stronger." I told her in a stern, ready to close the door on her.

"What if you give me a night mission, then? After all, haven't you heard of doing jobs at night?" She asked me in a confident manner, similar to how Sting acted, her determination hardly wavering.

Seeing that as an unorthodox yet clever thing to ask, I guess that she had to be accepted in here for a while. After all, nightly jobs would help Fiore know how good Sabertooth is. This girl could actually be useful for a while, so she wasn't complete trash.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

The inside of the guild looked like a hotel lobby with its fancy chairs, golden walls, and red carpeting. They had a brown bar like the one at Fairy Tail, but it was a self-serving bar with its machines for drinks, candy, and chips.

I gasped in awe when she saw a machine dispensing the finest desserts that anyone could ask for, and the paintings on the walls were portraying Minerva doing many poses. The gold reception desk at the back of the room with two golden elevators next to it appeared to be where a Mage could join the guild. Classical music being played by a violin could be heard through a speaker somewhere in the gold ceiling, and Sting noticed my delighted smile.

Two porcelain gold statues of saber-toothed cats were on each side of Sabertooth's entrance doors, which seemed a tad bit intimidating to me, and I simply ignored their glares while I walked with Sting. I didn't notice that my left hand was trying to intertwine with his, but I pulled it away when I noticed. Seriously, what was with me today? Did that moment in the mansion really mean something? I had only jumped into his arms because those slamming doors freaked me out.

The request board was right next to us, elegantly golden with flyers on it, and I couldn't help myself from checking out the jobs on it. What kind of jobs did Sabertooth have, honestly? My violet eyes scanned the flyers, noticing that all these jobs were dangerous, and I actually expected missions for Sabertooth to have treachery and danger. The fear was out of me now, and my smile brightened when Sting stood by me and smirked a bit.

"What is it, Sting?" I curiously asked, seeing his beautiful blue eyes be fixated on a flyer that he had just unpinned.

"Take a look at this job I found, Serena. It definitely suits you, and you may need a big reward like this one. Plus, there's a cute stone for the beautiful princess." He replied nicely, winking at me while showing me the flyer.

This job had a Fire Stone as the reward, and we had to capture a dangerous criminal in the faraway land of Unova. I had never been there, and I certainly didn't know where Reversal Mountain and the volcanic entrance were located. What in the world was Sting thinking? Entering a volcano would mean hot temperatures, and we didn't exactly have a huge map of Unova. Plus, he couldn't eat fire like Natsu could.

I looked unsure about this mission, knowing that volcanic heat was risky to encounter, and we might get burned alive. Plus, wasn't it scorching hot in a volcano? Boiling hot lava and I weren't exactly friends, you know. The reason that Natsu and the others treated me like a criminal was mostly because I told them off, and I don't care if they think of me as a dark mage. I'll burn them all in a blaze when I acquire the Fire Stone. They're only hunting me down because they think I'm weak, but I'll show them I'm different.

"All right, Sting! Let's get it done tonight! I'll show you how fiery I can be, and I'll be the hottest thing in that mountain!" I told him with extreme confidence, yelling triumphantly while thinking of showing him all my new moves.

"You already are kind of hot, you know." He responded, chuckling a bit while holding my hands in his.

All that I could do was blush while looking into his relaxing blue eyes, sighing happily while he calmed me down. His smile was so enchanting to me, and I couldn't even look away from him. His hands felt so soft and gentle, and I giggled a bit while not noticing the blush on my face turn hot pink. Something inside my heart was heating up in a warm feeling, and it actually felt nice. I can't fail on this job for someone so charming and cute. Wait, are the thoughts in my heart moving to my mind?

* * *

**How was Chapter 7? All the action starts in the next chapter! Sting might be accumulating some feelings too, and the heat shall see if they both can make a romantic flame of teamwork. Stick around for more StiCy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting and I were now traveling the seas to the faraway land of Unova, where Reversal Mountain and the dangerous criminal were located, and we were now riding on a boat from Coumarine Town. We could smell the salty air during the night, some seagulls and pelicans flying through the air, and the moon looked absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed the gentle sea breeze while seeing a few Sharpedo swim past the boat, noticing that they were going after a little Luvdisc. I had never noticed the food chains of animals before, so this interested me.

Before we had gotten to Coumarine Town to take the boat to Unova, I did some research on Reversal Mountain earlier today. It really was a place filled with magma and lava, almost like a sacred area for mages that wielded Fire Magic. I currently had Heavenly Body Magic and Darkness Magic, which both had a neutral effect against Fire Magic. Would my spells be strong enough to withstand the criminal's heat?

The Dusk Stone's powers were strong during the nighttime, so I had to rely on Darkness Magic alone. The Dawn Stone's pink radiance was really weak, unlike its shining purple counterpart, indicating that its powers could only be used during the daytime. These stones may have been conditional, but the spells that I made from them would prove to be really useful and convenient in most situations. While I enjoyed being at the bow of the boat with Sting, how was he doing?

I turned my head and looked a bit startled to see him retching and being motion sick like Natsu would be when he was on or saw any form of transportation, prompting me to use my third spell of Darkness Magic. It was known as Lavender Moonlight, and this spell caused the moon to have a lavender glow while shining its light on the part of the boat where Sting and I were standing. He began to instantly feel better, almost like nothing was wrong, and I blushed light pink when he turned around to face me with a thankful smile.

"Man, you really know what you need to make when necessary. You're a very good partner, Lucy. I'm lucky to have you here with me." Sting told me in a calm tone, looking into my violet eyes while his blue ones nearly left me speechless once again.

"Thank you, Sting. I just want you to be okay, since you're a really good friend. Anyway, it might be very hot in Reversal Mountain." I replied nicely, putting my hands over my mouth at the last sentence I uttered.

Seriously, how was heat relevant to Sting? Was I really being like a fawning girl over him, thinking he was hot? Sting may have been hot, but I have little feelings for him. They are little, and he may not even like me back. His flirting could just be from his arrogant and prideful personality, wanting me to think I was impressed with that, and his charms may just be making me feel better after all the drama that happened with Team Natsu.

Still, his eyes really did have the power to put me in such a calm trance. He always calmed me down, acted gentlemanly, and Sting was so strong. He even lifted a boulder on Route 4 with one hand, and he threw it into the air before destroying it with Holy Ray. He had such determination to become great, and I wanted to aspire to become something great as well.

If I can do great on this job, I'll let Sting know about my small feelings for him. Rejection wouldn't hurt as much after a great accomplishment, right? Speaking of accomplishing, I had a motivated facial expression upon seeing the Reversal Mountain coming into view. It appeared to be located between Lentimas Town and Undella Town, with us having to pass through the latter to reach our volcanic destination.

After a few minutes, we reached the shore of Undella Town. The sandy beach appeared to be white, having many vacationists and people surfing while some others rode jet skis across the water. People were even catching large Basculin and cooking them over a bonfire on the beach, much to my curiosity. Seriously, why had all these creatures suddenly appeared in Fiore and other lands like Unova?

* * *

**Sting's POV**

Lucy and I made our way past Undella Town, with me stealing a few cooked Basculin for our dinner, and we were now on our way to Reversal Mountain. I could smell the volcanic ash in the air, as we quickly reached the volcanic cave's entrance, and I narrowed my eyes at the sight of some lava bubbling from a nearby river in the mountain. We definitely had to be careful here, or we'd be fried like the fish.

Two pools of lava were on both sides of the cave's entrance, emphasizing how hot it would be in there. Hopefully, this guy wouldn't be too much trouble for us to handle. If he even tried putting a finger on Lucy, I would use Holy Nova to burn out his flames for good. She was pretty cute as Serena, and her black hair looked absolutely beautiful right now.

She was definitely psyched about going on this job, and I knew that she would do great. We jumped across some lava rocks in the river, seeing another entrance nearby, and we went through that passage to hopefully find this criminal. I sternly glared at our current surroundings, knowing they wouldn't hide near the entrance, and something seemed off to me. The heat was more intense than normal, but why?

I found myself sweating profusely, Lucy doing the same, and something made me widen my eyes in shock. She had removed her black T-shirt, her red miniskirt, her black leggings, and her black flat shoes to be only in her lacy red bra and lacy red panties. The heat must've driven her to really be hot, because I tried my best not stare at her bra or her panties. Really, she looked beautiful.

"It felt so hot for me to be in those dark clothes, Sting. I swear, this place really gives competition to a hot summer day. We have to find that criminal in this place, too." She told me with a soft smile on her face, Lucy's violet eyes twinkling a bit like they were trying to tell me something.

"Lucy.. You look great. I mean, that's great! The criminal probably can't take the heat, either." I responded, using all my willpower to stop my hands from wanting to stroke her hot back.

A female voice replied to me in a vicious tone, coming from the large round red pillar that stood in the middle of the room that was a large lava pool, "On the contrary, I can definitely stand the heat. My blaze will burn you sweating rookies down to charred chumps, and I am Furea Kasai. Team Flare is active, even in a place like this. Well, I am. All the Fire-type creatures have already been transferred to our HQ, so all you can do is get knocked around by me."

Furea was a pale-skinned young woman of average height with long, dark red hair, which is usually worn in a pair of massive waist-length braids that are tied together behind her back. She had full lips and reddish eyes always shown wide open, something which, together with her perpetually raised eyebrows and her semi-opened mouth, gave her a somewhat deranged expression. In addition, she seemed to be able to manipulate her beautiful hair at will, adding to her distinctive look. Furea possessed an extremely voluptuous body, with very large breasts matched by similarly large hips, endowing her with a virtually perfect hourglass figure. Her left shoulder bared a scar in the shape of an "_X_", and her Team Flare symbol was located on her right breast.

Furea wore an extremely revealing crimson dress secured by halter-neck straps, which left most of her upper body, namely her back, sides and a large portion of her cleavage almost reaching down to her navel completely exposed. The dress reached down to her calves, with the skirt being flouncy, possessing a large slash in its front right part for Furea's legs to move freely, and a lighter section, consisting of two elongated patches acting as a belt of sorts in correspondence to her waist, was apparently sewn to the dress. Furea's attire was completed by long gloves that were almost reaching up to her shoulders, matching her dress in color, each having a small cut on the upper outer edge. She was also wearing simple red boots, too.

Lucy shouted to her with a determined look on her face, clenching her fists tightly, "We're not going to get beaten by you, and you're the one who will get burned!"

The antagonist retorted while giggling at Lucy's words, "You and your little boyfriend don't look so tough, bitch. Let's see what you've got."

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

My jaw dropped at Furea's words, and the blush on my face turned from pink to red. She seriously thought Sting and I were a couple? We were not at that stage yet, and I wouldn't make moves on Sting. I could see that she wielded the powers of the Fire Stone, the reward for this job, and I'd definitely take it from her. I decided to activate the fourth spell, and I had called it Dark Hunter. This spell made a purple sniper rifle appear in my hands, and I put it near my right eye to get great aim at Furea from a distance.

I unleashed purple rings of energy from the sniper rifle, but Furea quickly vanished in a burst of flames! The rings made purple blasts of energy occur when they landed in the lava, but then the blasts turned red like fire. Something told me that was not a good sign, especially now that six fireballs came at me with tremendous speeds. Before I could defend myself, the fireballs hit me and created a fiery explosion!

The fire was scorching hot while being painful as well, and I tried my best to not let the already hot ground's heat get the attention of my feet. I growled angrily while seeing Furea suddenly appear in front of me, smirking evilly like I was weaker than she was. We were now in a huge ring of flames, but what other abilities had she made from the Fire Stone?

"That move was known as Flame Vengeance, taking any attacks that land in lava and rebounding them back on you. You're pretty good, kid, but you're too dumb to know when you're outmatched." Furea told me in a condescending tone, before using a spell known as Heat Thrust to make a geyser of lava erupt upward from underneath my feet.

The lava was really burning me up, and its pain was intense. I could see Sting using Holy Ray to hit Furea, but she used another spell known as Flame Counter to make her earlier flames have the ability to stretch and block attacks like they were shields. She also made them act like whips while trying to hit him, irritating me even more. With this geyser of lava against my back, what could I do?

At that moment, an idea formed in my mind. Having the Dusk Stone in my right hand, I created a new spell that was known as Darkness Sludge. Suddenly, the geyser of lava turned purple and it began to fall apart easily. I was about to fall to the ground, but Sting caught me in his arms again. I blushed once more, since this happened when we were in the mansion, and I had to put my feelings of admiration into my spells to impress Sting.

The puddles of liquid on the ground were like sludge now, poisonous sludge, and the flames were also turned purple and became like sludge when they made the slightest contact with it. The sludge puddles began to combine together to form a ball of sludge, and something told me to eat it. As much as it disgusted Furea and Sting, they were both surprised to feel and see the power of a purple sludge vortex I unleashed from my mouth.

The attack sent Furea sliding back a few feet, and she used another spell known as Incinerating Demonic Flame. This attack made a giant fireball quickly come down upon me, making me jump backwards to avoid the fiery explosion. Using the flame walls as a chance to attack, since they shielded Sting and I from Furea's view, I used the 6th spell from the Dusk Stone. This spell was known as Shadow Ball, and it simply made a purple orb of energy appear in my hands.

I threw it at the flames, watching it tear through them, and a massive purple blast occurred! Its force caused some rocks to nearly fall on me and Sting, but I used my 7th spell that was known as Gravitational Destruction. This spell made moving objects simply explode while leaving behind purple smoke in the process, which would be useful against speedy foes.

When the smoke from the massive blast cleared up, my violet widened in shock at what I was seeing. Furea was badly bruised and bloodied, but a red aura was surrounding her body. Her wounds were healing quickly, meaning she also knew how to make healing spells, and I groaned in pure frustration at the fact that she had kept that ability hidden and made me look like a fool.

"Your spells are indeed powerful, but how you use them is what really matters. Your style of attacking is so direct, it's almost something to laugh at. Honestly, you're really pathetic. However, I suppose that I'll give you a reward since no one's ever made me use Incinerating Demonic Flame in a long time." Furea told me with an evil smirk on her face, before throwing the Fire Stone into my left hand while throwing a treasure chest of 10 million jewels at Sting.

"Are you trying to be nice or something?!" I asked her in a harsh tone, growling angrily at the fact that I was definitely outclassed by this admin of Team Flare.

"That Fire Stone is just one of the few I have. It has a spell that can allow you to go through lava without getting burned, too. I hope you improve when we meet again, kid. I'll be waiting." Furea replied arrogantly, before vanishing in a twister of flames.

* * *

I could only fall to my knees, after all that. I was totally pitied by the enemy, especially after I lost. Well, it was actually a draw. Still, was my battling style really that amateurish? Did the amount of powerful spells I learn not really define me as strong? Had I been overconfident for this mission just because Sting was with me? Did I choose impressing him over actually defeating Furea?

Tears began to form in my eyes, my body trembling in sadness, and I felt like a total loser. Sting had seen me fail miserably, be pitied by the antagonist, and now he'd probably yell at me.

"Lucy... Don't cry. Everybody fails sometimes, but you did great. You just need to fight for a good reason, and then your true strength will emerge. Besides, you got the reward. You won, in my opinion." Sting told me in a comforting tone, putting his arms around my waist while helping me stand up.

I blushed a light shade of pink, feeling Sting's muscular arms around my waist, but I also gasped when I noticed that Sting's shirt and pants had caught fire because of the intense heat waves that still lingered around. He simply removed them quickly, leaving him in some white shorts that looked like his holy light attacks. I blushed even more, trying to avert my eyes from that area, but seeing Sting's chest in its entirety was like seeing a really great guy. If I was ice, I'd really be melting right now.

This was the moment for me right now. My heart was palpitating wildly, and I was blushing intensely. I had to tell Sting how I felt about him, but would he feel the same way? I turned around to face him, my head against his chest, and I looked up at him with admiration and flirtatiousness in my violet eyes. His hands began to caress my stomach and my back, making me adore him even more.

"Um... Sting... Listen, I'm in... lo.." I said timidly while blushing, not wanting to answer so fast in case he would reject me.

"You're in what?" He asked curiously while we took a few steps forward towards the lava pool to really heat up the moment and ignite my blush while I felt hot like fire. (Puns intended.)

"Well, you see..." I kept going while smiling a bit, feeling charmed in a trance by his beautiful blue eyes.

Before I could continue, I didn't realize where I was going and I put one foot in the hot lava. Feeling its intense heat, I nearly screamed in pain while now being on one foot. I looked shocked while losing my balance, quickly activating the Fire Magic in the Fire Stone for hopes that the lava protection spell would activate, and I accidentally grabbed Sting's hand while we fell in together.

The lava's temperature was boiling hot, burning off my remaining articles of clothing, but I was physically okay. I wasn't having burnt skin, and neither was Sting. We were now under the lava's surface, but I was blushing intensely. Upon opening my violet eyes, I nearly looked amazed to know that in all the confusion I was currently pressing my lips against Sting's for warming support in this hot environment. We were now floating down to the lava's floor, his arms around my waist, but the protection spell had activated to make us both feel relaxed. However, would he understand how I feel?

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Gray's POV)**

As I walked back into Fairy Tail, I still felt disappointed about another failure. Erza wanted us all to search for Lucy in the far places to see if we get any information, and she also wanted us to search for those elemental stones in the process. Juvia and I were instructed to check out a mansion with a gaping hole in it, but all we got was literally licked by a Gengar.

"Gray-sama... Please don't be Juvia get paralyzed by that creature's nasty tongue ever again.." Juvia told me, obviously feeling traumatized by that long tongue Gengar had.

We had heard scary noises throughout the mansion, even in the attic, and the doors hadn't opened until we found that Gengar causing all the madness. It had used Psychic to throw books, toys, and even Juvia at me. That thing was so rude, and all we wanted was the Dusk Stone rumored to be there.

Instead, guess what Gengar gave us? It tried making faces of some screaming girl, and it kept pointing to a pink heart-shaped bed that it had. What in the world did that even mean?

"Erza, the Dusk Stone was not in the mansion." I reluctantly told her with a depressed sigh, hoping she wouldn't beat the crap out of me for interrupting her from eating the dinner she had on the table where she was currently situated.

In an instant, she clenched her fists and stood up while sternly glaring at me. The deadly look in her brown eyes was enough to make me back away, but then she suddenly sat down.

"That Serena must've taken it... She must have it.. I was sure that one was there, from what I heard. Gray, tomorrow you must go to Lumiose and find out everything there is to know about this stone-stealing girl.." Erza replied calmly, hiding her irritation at the fact that two stones were now out of Fairy Tail's reach...

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**How was the 8th chapter? Will the next chapter be calm and grassy? Standby for the update, folks! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I had gotten out of the hot lava with Sting, both of us undamaged by the protection spell from the Fire Stone that Furea gave me, and we had spent quite a while relaxing in our hot bath. I still blushed intensely from the kiss I had given Sting, and I had turned away from him while looking utterly nervous. After all, he hadn't said anything about the kiss while we relaxed in the lava. The heat had burned off our clothes after I clumsily sent us falling into the lava, leaving us both bare. Sting would probably be mad at me, but would he understand the kiss?

Still holding the Fire Stone in my right hand, I curiously looked at it while remembering Furea's words. My style of attacking was amateurish like a rookie, and there were other kinds of spells that I needed to learn. In other words, I could create spells that weren't only for offense. There were also spells with added effects, too. I blushed cherry red while looking down at my body, seeing that I did look hot and sweaty, prompting me to create an interesting new spell with the Fire Magic.

"All right, then! If I need to make new kinds of spells, here's Dancing Flame!" I shouted with courage in my voice, seeing the Fire Stone suddenly emit a scarlet red glow, and I hoped that the stone would understand how the spell worked.

In an instant, Sting turned around to face me while swirling twisters of fire began to surround our bodies. He looked a bit surprised at first, but he confidently smiled at me when he looked like he realized that the flames were putting us back in our original outfits like we hadn't taken anything off. The flames that attached themselves to our bodies began to take the shapes of our clothes, and the clothes were exactly what we always wore when the flames had disappeared.

After the twisters of flames had vanished, I blushed even more and smiled a bit when Sting walked towards me with a happy smile. The treasure chest from earlier had stood beside the spot where we were standing, and this was like a dream. How lucky could a girl get to have a handsome guy, magical stones, and a treasure chest filled with jewels? Of course, I had to consider Furea as a rival for calling me pathetic before she left.

As Sting walked towards me, I didn't know what to say. He would obviously be happy about the kiss, or that smile was for hiding his laughter while he would call me a ditzy klutz for falling into the lava. Either way, words were definitely not being spoken by me right now. That blue vest looked so good on Sting, his blonde hair looking good, and his eyes had me in a blushing trance right now.

"Lucy, that was my first time being kissed by a girl. You have really nice lips." He told me in a calm tone, blinking his eyes a bit.

"Thank you for letting me know that, Sting. I just have small feelings for you right now, and I hoped you'd understand." I replied with a small smile on my face, resting my head on his chest since I hadn't gotten any sleep after Sting showed me the flyer for our short journey to Unova.

Despite that kiss we shared, we weren't officially in a relationship. After all, moving too fast would not be good for either of us and I was still recovering from my heartbreak that Natsu and his team had created. They had probably been trying to hunt me down for the past few days, but I hadn't seen anyone from Fairy Tail show up in Lumiose Town. As Sting and I could see the dawning sun shining its light into the cave, we both giggled while walking out of Reversal Mountain with the treasure chest.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Gray's POV)**

I can't believe that Erza made me take the sunrise train all the way to that extravagant Lumiose Town, since that Serena chick is there. Seriously, I don't know why we need to look for these elemental stones that are in one person's hands. I highly doubt that we could just steal them all from her, since she's probably skilled with their powers. I arrived at the Lumiose Station 20 minutes ago, and I now sat down at a table in a nearby place known as Café Bataille.

Thank goodness that I wasn't paired up with that flaming idiot, or it would be kind of annoying to see him and Lisanna make out while we try searching for some clues about Lucy or Serena. I still don't know where Lucy is, and maybe Erza was wrong when Team Natsu decided to hunt down Lucy for the sake of keeping her depression quiet from other people. Well, it was actually Lisanna's vicious idea. She didn't like Lucy's spoiled and whiny attitude, so we all agreed to oust her from the team. I do wonder if she has gotten far from Fairy Tail, though.

After one of the waitresses put a plate on my table, I was curious as to why it had a red velvet cake on it. I was still looking at the golden menu book, and I had actually planned to start off my day with some breakfast. Sausage, eggs, pancakes, and hash browns really sounded good to me right now, and the growling of my stomach signified that it might've agreed with me.

My dark blue eyes looked up at the waitress to see that it was none other than Fairy Tail's most recent rookie, Melissa Malicieux. (An important OC in this story, by the way.) She looked exactly like Lucy did, except for her light brown hair, fair skin, and forest green eyes. She currently had her hair down while wearing a typical maid outfit, consisting of a black undercoat and a white, frilled-trim apron. The undercoat was short enough for me to see that she wore lacy purple underwear, almost making me having blood gushing out of my nose.

"Hey, you're that Gray Fullbuster guy. I knew that I recognized you from somewhere, and you actually have clothes on this time." She told me with a smile on her face while showing me the black guild mark on the back of her left hand, before she sat across from me at our table.

"Yes, and you're Melissa. You haven't shown us what type of magic you can use, though. Why are you so reserved?" I asked calmly, cutting a slice of my red velvet cake before eating the delicious treat to be polite.

"I feel no need to explain anything to a simple pawn like you, and you'd only get in my way. I'm pretty irritated with Team Natsu asking me to join them, since I work alone." She told me in a cold tone, taking a slice from the cake with her eyes narrowed at me.

Did I say something wrong? I really didn't mean to offend her like that, but Natsu did be a real pest when he had asked her nine times to join our team on her first day in Fairy Tail. Melissa was like a gothic girl, and her loner attitude definitely made her be Lucy's opposite. At that moment, I widened my dark blue eyes and remembered the task that Erza had bestowed upon me.

"Melissa, have you seen a girl named Serena around here or a blonde girl who looked like she was trying to flee from someone who ousted her from a guild?" I asked her nicely while continuing to eat, hoping I'd get a decent response.

"Have you seen a Sylveon use Fire Blast?" She shot back with an annoyed look, rolling her eyes at me while her arms were folded.

"Not at all." I replied curiously, wondering why she would ask that.

"That answers your question, Gray. Now turn your head away while I look at something." She answered back in a grumpy manner.

I turned around while seeing people get off the train, not even caring that I saw Sting Eucliffe with a girl that had black hair, violet eyes, and a cute pink hat that Mirajane had mentioned before when she had told me about the time disguised herself as a Vivillon for assisting in our task to find Lucy and make her pay for telling us off. That train looked like it came from Coumarine Town, but why should I care?

As I turned back around to face Melissa, she had vanished like a ghost in those few seconds. Honestly, something was odd about her secretive attitude. I really want to know what she's hiding, but her attitude answered my questions and gave me another one. If Lucy didn't come all the way here to Lumiose, where could she possibly be? It was only dawn right now, so the rest of this day had to give me some kind of clue...

**Sting's POV**

Lucy and I finally arrived back in Lumiose Town, both tired from that long job in Unova, and we both deserved a good dawn's rest after all the action that happened in the volcano. Even though she had tried her best to hide it while we were on the train, I could tell that Lucy was shaken up by Furea's words about her being amateurish. Well, no teammate of mine would be an amateur.

I had to help Lucy, not because she looked incredibly hot as Serena, but because she really had the potential to become stronger. We definitely needed to find more of those elemental stones, but I knew they wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. On top of that, Team Flare seems to be active nowadays. The Magic Council can't really do much about them, seeing their activity to not be "criminal", just like how they let Team Plasma almost carry out their liberation plans twice.

What in the world could Team Flare be after, anyway? They just want money, which would explain why Furea gave us that huge treasure chest instead of a measly reward like a clichéd villain would, but what is their plan? I don't really think I'd want to tangle with those freaks, since Rogue probably remembers how annoying it was to listen to Ghetsis when we had to stop him and Team Plasma when they had their second scheme, and those guys named Colress and N were just as freaky.

"Hey, Sting. I once saw mages in the picnic areas training with their types of magic, and eating cookies that looked similar to mine. Well, they were more like wafers. Anyway, why were they making their moves look good instead of strengthening them?" Lucy asked me in a curious tone, adjusting her pink hat.

I replied nicely while chuckling a bit, knowing Lucy was still new to how magic could be used, "Those wafers are called Poffins, and they can enhance the looks and levels of moves. Also, making your moves look good is also a part of battling. That's mainly referred to as appealing, but making your moves look good can make your Magic have a better bond with you. Since you can make moves from the stones, Lucy, you have to make them look more presentable while also being strategic. You didn't realize it back at the volcano, but you didn't put enough power into that big blast. When working with many types of Magic, the moves you give to them are always the main attraction."

"I see. You're basically saying that the style of moves has to be presentable and also effective for Magic to bond well with its user. No wonder the Dawn Stone and I can easily make effective moves, but the Dusk Stone gave me trouble. Sting, you really showed me what I need to do in order to become stronger." Lucy told me with a smile of realization, before running off somewhere.

"Where are you going?" I wondered while running after her, hoping she wasn't taking the treasure chest on a shopping spree.

"Style with magic is like baking desserts! I'll race you to the bakery for some delicious treats, sweetie!" She responded happily while running off towards Autumnal Avenue.

Wow, she's excited enough to refer to me as "sweetie"? I kind of like that. Maybe I should be a good teacher to my cute and happy student, since she's really eager to learn.

* * *

**How was Chapter 9? Sorry for not showing much, but this is a semi-filler chapter to not really rush things. The grassy action shall happen in the next chapter, so stand by! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

After Sting and I had used seven hours worth of berries to make Poffins at the bakery on Autumnal Avenue, we had decided to go back to the Sabertooth guild with the treats in the wooden basket that Sting had made for me. We were now at Sabertooth's request board to find some good jobs, hoping to also find the next elemental stone, and my violet eyes were filled with more determination than ever.

Now having Furea as my rival, since she had brutally criticized me like I was a total failure, I had to become stronger and bond well with each type of magic for it to really work for me. I didn't want my spells to fall apart or be weak, and I currently ate a Cherry Poffin that I made from a Cheri Berry. This would improve how cool my Fire Magic would look, which was one step towards becoming stronger.

However, what kinds of spells should I make? Just like with creating spells, I could also remove them. I had just removed Furea's attacks from the Fire Stone with a simple command, and the red aura went inside my body. I honestly felt fired up like Natsu would, but the stone would be nothing without great spells to back it up. On top of that, the frontal jobs on the request board were asking for help in places that seemed perfect for water. Fire wouldn't be very effective, and I didn't have a Water Stone yet.

Also, I didn't have any real spells of Fire Magic yet. I had to use them in a place where they would have the greatest effect, like a grassy meadow or a forest that was crawling with bugs. Of course, we'd probably get attacked by Beedrill for trying to burn down the forest where they lived. All of the other creatures wouldn't like it, either, so the forest was definitely not where we would be going.

"Hey, Serena. You seriously have to check out this job, and it seems really thrilling." Sting told me with a cocky grin on his face, as he put the flyer into my hands for me to read it.

I replied with a happy smile, upon seeing the place and the reward, "Sting, this is totally awesome! This place doesn't seem dangerous at all, and we just have to put a stop to a nefarious villain! It's a pretty common job, so it won't be difficult."

Sting and I blushed while looking at each other, almost about to really kiss for real since that first kiss was caused by a total accident, but I leapt back a few feet when a white energy wave suddenly appeared in between us. I looked astounded at the sight of this happening, but then it looked familiar to me from the Naval Battle in the Grand Magic Games of X791. Minerva obviously overheard my conversation with Sting and teleported to us for more details, unfortunately.

"Well, well, well. It looks like Sting's going on a job, but he has to be stuck with a weakling like you. Serena, you're still not even a real member of the Sabertooth guild. I'll tell you what, however. Why don't you prove to me that you belong here, newbie? Being the daughter of the guild master, I have every right to check out anyone who wants to join us." Minerva told me in a condescending tone while she evilly smirked, giggling a bit at the sight of me looking irritated by her words.

"I definitely belong here, Minerva! Sting's been helping me get stronger, and I want to become a great mage! I'll battle anyone because that's how I'll get better! I'll prove to you that I deserve to be in Sabertooth, so bring it on!" I retorted harshly, glaring at her with a fierce fire beginning to fill my violet eyes.

"You're such a stupid idiot, Serena. I can't believe you'd actually think I would waste my time on trash like you right now. My level of skill majorly rises above yours, and you are nothing but an inferior little girl." Minerva shot back at me, putting her left hand around my neck before picking me up and slamming me down to the ground with little effort.

Before I could verbally retaliate, as I stood up, Sting grabbed my hand and simply ran out of the guild with me having to follow him closely. He was obviously psyched about getting this job done, and he probably didn't want to see a fight erupt between me and Minerva right now. I didn't want to make myself look bad in front of him, and starting a fight with the guild master's daughter would probably not get me into the Sabertooth guild.

We were now on our way to the job that would test my skills in making my spells powerful while also making them also look presentable. Simple attacks probably wouldn't work, either, so I had to be creative. Whatever lied in store for us on this job would surely be a challenge, since the criminal in the job's description was an S-Class Mage who was from the town of Gracidea. That place was said to be faraway, so they had obviously fled here.

**Meanwhile... (Gray's POV)**

Man, I couldn't find that Serena chick or Lucy anywhere in Lumiose Town. I asked many people if they had seen a blonde girl with brown eyes pass through any avenue of the town, but they all looked puzzled by my question. They didn't know where Lucy was, and it was now noon. Erza instructed me to find info on those stones, but I hadn't found any info on them all. It's not that Team Natsu wanted Lucy to come back out of love, but Erza wanted to punish Lucy for making us all stray from doing jobs to look for her.

I now found myself on Route 6 of Fiore, a route with large trees surrounding both sides of a dirt path with fruit trees and flowery bushes nearby. If Lucy or Serena hadn't been in Lumiose Town, where could they be? This mission was twofold for me, really. Find Serena for my chance to snatch the elemental stones that are rumored to change the world, and find that weak Lucy for Erza to punish her. Even though only a few days had passed, the jobs kept piling up on Fairy Tail's request board. That made us look like lazy slackers, something Erza didn't approve of.

As I walked down the dirt path, seeing something in the distance that looked like a castle, my feet suddenly lost the ability to move. They felt constricted by something, and I looked down to see green vines emerge from underground. They lifted me high into the air, before spinning me around in a circle, and the vines seemed to be manipulated by someone's magic. They threw me into the dirt, and I went rolling towards somebody on this same path.

Slowly looking up at the person who ambushed me, he was a fair-skinned male who had onyx eyes and green chin-length hair. His hair was spiky in the back with bangs, and his glare was somewhat intimidating. He wore a pale green, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar and white arm warmers, along with black shorts. This guy snickered while looking down at me, slamming his left foot down on my head repeatedly.

"How incredible. I put up a job demanding a fight with the one who beat up Konchū from our dark guild, and instead some useless guy comes my way. How pathetic. The trees told me that the one who defeated Konchū was a female from Sabertooth, which makes you worthless to me right now. Go away, trashy kid. I'm Tsukushi, a member of the dark guild Black Plasma. Konchu had been excommunicated from Fairy Tail, and she joined us. Now she's deceased, and anyone against evil is just trash." He told me in a harsh tone, kicking me away from him.

Suddenly, the leaves began to float in midair around him while turning green with razor-sharp edges. Tsukushi simply waved his hands in a psychic manner, before sending the leaves spinning towards me in a barrage at high speeds. They made cuts on my face and arms, even make slice marks across my shirt, and he chuckled evilly while making the projectiles curve back around like a boomerang to impale me in my back like sharp knives.

I couldn't react fast enough to avoid the leaves, and he sent more of them towards me. Was this guy planning to slice my head off? As I coughed up some blood, feeling the stabbing pain of the leaves impaling my back, I had to wonder if this was it for me.

However, my dark blue eyes widened in amazement at the sight of three fireballs striking the leaves while burning them in a fiery explosion. The flames were jumping into the air, burning the leaves that impaled my back, and their heat was actually healing my wounds. Some of the flames went behind me, before furiously exploding in red blasts that made large walls of fire, prompting me to get the heck off of a battlefield where I wasn't needed. Going around the smoke, I decided to look brave and simply hightail it to Lumiose's train station and go back to Magnolia.

**Lucy's POV**

Sting and I had finally reached Route 6 of Fiore, and I had to use Tri Fire to save somebody who appeared to have been tortured by that criminal. I don't know where the victim went, but the scene appeared to show me that his attacker was able to manipulate plants. With fire spells, I had the current advantage in this fight. From what I saw, this guy could manipulative leaves with straight and curved movements, meaning he had excellent control over his Plant Magic.

He also wasted no time when the fire and smoke faded away, inhaling air before unleashing a barrage of green seeds from his mouth. I narrowed my violet eyes while dodging them, seeing that they created green blasts of energy while also leaving quick-growing saplings in the blast's place. Not only could he cause damage with that attack, but his devious grin told me that he could grow new plants to cause more mayhem.

"If you're not going to counter my attacks, you might as well give up now." He told us in a brash tone, grinning evilly while sending giant green vines to attack me and Sting.

Knowing full well that my reaction time also needed work, I quickly created a new spell known as Fiery Burst. Inhaling some air, I quickly exhaled it to send a thin stream of fire at the vines. The spinning stream enlarged, much to the antagonist's shock, and it incinerated the vines while creating a fiery explosion in the process. Tsukushi had evaded it, unfortunately, and he was going to attack with the green seeds from seeing him inhale air.

Sting had told me that appealing was part of using spells, and he had secretly told me that studying an enemy's techniques was an important part in battle. As Tsukushi fired those exploding bullet seeds at me, I countered with a spell known as Flame Shield. A crimson red shield appeared in front of me (It looked like a larger version of the Volcano Badge from the Kanto Region), and it simply absorbed the projectiles before surrounding them in red flames that were shaped like drills.

The flames bounced off the shield, and they headed straight for Tsukushi. He had a look of smug confidence in his onyx eyes, and one of saplings from earlier turned into a giant tree to be struck by the flames. However, I was hoping that he would try to defend himself. As the giant tree broke into pieces, I used my next spell that was known as Magma Muck.

Quickly doing a backflip into the air and springing upward with the momentum from landing on a tree branch, I simply spat out large puddles of red goop from my mouth. They hit the ground, making holes in it with their volcanic heat, and even the smallest puddles of magma were burning away the leaves and trees with boiling flames. I even made the muck seep underground to create fiery explosions, incinerating the roots of the problem.

"Wow, Lucy! You're really starting to use your moves creatively!" Sting told me with a calm smile on his face while I safely landed on my feet.

"Too bad she won't get the chance to use them all!" Tsukushi exclaimed fiercely, waving his hands in a telekinetic manner while making some Rawst Berries float from a nearby bush and into the air. They exploded immediately, almost like the winds had struck them when a sudden gust came through the air, and the berries released a green powder that rode the wind.

Knowing that powder from Rawst berries could create burns on a person's skin, I quickly used the next spell of Fire Magic. It was known as Fire Cannon, and this spell quickly released a cannon shot of a fiery vortex from my left hand. The swirling vortex of flames quickly eradicated the powder, and it struck the villain head on while making a large blast of fire fill the sky! Sting and I covered our eyes for a moment to avoid the red and orange light from the flames, and we opened them when it quickly faded away.

We thought that Tsukushi had been defeated, but the smoke cleared up to reveal that he was struggling to stand while being surrounded by a large ring of flames that occurred as a result of Fire Cannon. I guess my spells really were starting to look pretty in this performance, and now it was time for this battle to have a finale. A red aura surrounded my body for this next move, and I could feel heat and power flowing through my body.

"I am totally feeling and loving the power!" I exclaimed in a fierce tone, ambition filling my violet eyes while my fists were tightly clenched.

Tsukushi told Sting while he put his hands in front of his face, waving them in a begging and defensive manner, "Dude, your girlfriend is a fiery psycho! Do something, man!"

"All I can do is say... Go, Lucy! Activate that hot spell!" Sting told me while smirking happily, winking with his left eye as he gave me two thumbs-up.

This seventh spell was known as Flare Blitz, and the first part of it made red flames engulf my fists like I was Natsu. The power was charging itself up inside of me, the red aura enlarging around my body and the flames on my hands felt hot with a burning sense of courage and fierceness. The second part of this spell made my body become surrounded by red-orange flames, and I shot myself at my opponent with great force and tremendous speed like a missile. I decided to call this spell Flare Blitz, since that sounded really cool.

Tsukushi could only remain frozen in fear at the sight of this attack, and he nearly screamed when I punched him in the face with my left fist while slamming myself against him. An extremely powerful maelstrom of red-orange flames filled the air, fireballs coming down on the plants as a side effect, and I was hoping that Sting looked awestruck by the power that I had now obtained.

However, this attack's drawback turned my maelstrom of flames into a fiery explosion that sent me flying into the air. I was surprised to see Sting spring upward from the tree branches like I did, and he caught me in his arms while red sparks surrounded my body like I took recoil damage from the Flare Blitz spell. The red aura and the flames had faded away from my body, and I felt exhausted after using seven spells from the Fire Stone.

When Sting and I safely landed on the ground, we could see that Tsukushi was charred and unconscious while something came rolling out of the left back pocket of his black shorts. It appeared to be a stone that had the top half in emerald green while the bottom half was pale green. What kind of stone was this? I hadn't seen anything like it until now.

"Hey, Sting. That guy dropped something." I informed him calmly, pointing to the strange stone on the ground.

He replied nicely while putting me down on my feet and picking up the object, "Whoa, Lucy. You really got lucky, seriously. This stone can be emerald green, but it can also change to a pale green stone. It's a Wind Stone and a Leaf Stone in one, also known as a Hybrid Stone. These are extremely rare, Lucy, especially since they are two elements in one stone."

"Speaking of multiple types of magic, when will you teach me Cloning Magic?" I asked him sternly, still feeling fierce from my Fire Magic.

"Have patience, Lucy. Wow, you really are hot from that battle. When you harness that hotness, then we'll ignite your potential to new levels." Sting responded to me while smirking, as he secretly brought the wooden box of Poffins along and stuffed two red cherry-flavored ones in my mouth before running back to the guild.

Wanting to catch up with him, I ran as fast as my legs allowed me to while planning to feed him Poffins for a change. Wait, isn't that what couples normally did on dates? Sting and I only had an accidental kiss, so why is my heart speaking for my mind? Did those fire spells increase my hotness while also making me see Sting as a really hot guy? At this point, all I could do was blush with determination while running back to Lumiose Town.

**Meanwhile... (Wendy's POV)**

Ever since Lucy-san left Fairy Tail, everyone's been searching for her like crazy. Surprisingly, we've all found the same thing. You know what that would be? Absolutely nothing. Even Carla can't make a prediction about Lucy because nobody has any idea where she is, and I'm really getting worried. Erza-san sent us out to many places in Fiore, but there's no sign of Lucy anywhere.

I sat down at a table with Carla, Levy, Lily, Juvia, and Gajeel while I looked pretty glum. The new girl named Melissa isn't even that friendly, either, and she has this weird way about her. When Lucy left, Melissa had arrived on the following day. She seemed okay at first glance, but she's actually really grumpy and depressing. I don't even care about the elemental stones, nor do I know why they are so valuable.

"Juvia is so lonely without Gray-sama here... Juvia knows he'll get the job done, but he should be back soon." Juvia said with a sad facial expression, before laying her head down on the table while unaware that she just slammed her face into Levy's banana cream pie.

"Juvia, if it makes you feel better, I have to do a job in Aquacorde Town. It's kind of far from the guild, but I could really use your help there." I told her in a kind tone while smiling a bit, as I patted her head.

Even though she looked sad by the fact that Gray had taken so long to do what seemed like a simple retrieval mission, Juvia lifted her head up and agreed to help me out since she was thinking that Gray would pass through there.

As I stood up from my seat with the flyer in my hands, proceeding to walk out of the guild with Juvia, something seemed really odd to me when I saw Natsu and Lisanna kissing. It wasn't that their making out in public was kind of gross, but daylight shined throughout the guildhall. It made many shadows stretch, except theirs weren't visible to my eyes. Why?

**How was Chapter 10? A few more plot twists are good, right? You'll see what happened to Team Natsu, as the story progresses, and Lucy shall finally cross paths with an old friend. What shall transpire? Standby for the update, my readers!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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**Lucy's POV**

Two weeks had passed, ever since the events that happened on Route 6, and Sting was currently at Sabertooth's request board with me. We were checking out the jobs for once, since Sting had used those past two weeks to help me get my running speed and physical strength up by making me run through the forest and swing from tree branches like a monkey. He was trying to make me faster and stronger, knowing our future opponents would be more difficult to beat as time went on. I didn't even think we had it easy, since that Tsukushi guy and that Konchū girl were tough and strategic.

We hadn't ran into Furea from Team Flare, either, and I clenched my fists at the thought of her getting stronger as well. She wouldn't see me as a mediocre mage when we had our next battle, and I refused to lose. The elemental stones hadn't given me any new spells, even when I tried to make them, so they must've had limiters on them while only giving the user as much strength as they had. If seven spells was my limit for each type of magic, I really had to think carefully.

My violet eyes were filled with courage while I noticed a good job on the board, and it seemed to be somewhere in the desert. If that was the case, my new Wind Magic and Plant Magic might be useful. Well, the latter would only work with power from the cacti. After thinking it over for a few more moments, I definitely realized that the desert wasn't someplace where anyone could go. The sandstorms would be harsh, and lacking power from an Earth Stone wouldn't really help the situation.

"Oh, cool! Serena, we just keep getting lucky! Check out this job!" Sting told me with a confident look on his face while fixing his hair, before handing me a blue flyer.

"I certainly hope that it's not a worthless job, Sting." I told him in a stern tone, examining the job request he had picked out for the day.

Apparently, this job was going to take place in Azure Town and it simply involved catching a Froakie that had escaped from Professor Sycamore's research lab in the nearby town of Aquacorde. At least it didn't involve any dangerous criminals, so what was there to worry about? Catching a creature would be easy as pie, and I now had two new types of magic to work with.

The reward for this job had surprisingly included a Water Stone, much to my delight. I had wanted to find one for a while now, especially since rumors kept saying how the elemental stone looked so beautiful in the blue water. The dream of getting one would soon be a reality, and I happily hugged Sting for choosing that job while he was thinking of me. He really was a sweet guy, even though his arrogance was kind of annoying at times.

Speaking of the Sabertooth guild, I hadn't forgotten about Minerva and the battle we would have one day. She was currently eating some waffles at a nearby table, scoffing when I gleefully cheered about the job that would help me obtain my fifth elemental stone. Seriously, did she have to look down on me like I still didn't belong here? One of these days, I would officially join this guild.

Seeing that I was still technically like Sabertooth's rookie, I really had to try my best for the name Serena Fennekin to really be known. Lucy Heartfilia was now my old name, and I certainly didn't want to see anyone from Fairy Tail around here. Wendy was okay, but what if Natsu and the others would force her to come here? That would certainly be underhanded of them, right? Before my paranoia could continue on any longer, I gently took Sting's hand in mine while we ran out of Sabertooth's entrance doors.

"Whoa, are you still using Fire Magic? You seem psyched today, Lucy." Sting told me in a surprised manner while we ran down Vernal Avenue to go down Route 4 and go a little bit past Santalune Town to reach our destination. After all, Azure Town was in the middle of Santalune and Aquacorde. With that Froakie probably unable to really get far, we would have a real advantage on this job. Plus, the town had cafés while being situated by a beautiful river. How much better could it be?

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**Meanwhile... (Wendy's POV)**

Juvia and I had returned to Aquacorde Town to do another job, involving the task of getting some plush dolls for some kids in the nearby town of Azure, but Juvia had seen a guy who resembled Gray from behind and accidentally used water from the river to make hearts in the air to show her love for him. Unfortunately, Juvia's Water Hearts had fallen to the ground and soaked a yellow mouse with electrical red cheeks. It really got mad at her, using Thunderbolt to electrocute her, and Juvia had countered with Water Cyclone.

Unfortunately for us, her attack obliterated the research lab of Professor Augustine Sycamore while the electric mouse continued to shock Juvia. I looked embarrassed by my companion's misdirected attack, especially since the researchers looked angry at us for letting a small blue frog creature escape from their lab. They refused to let us leave until the Froakie was caught, but it had quite the extraordinary jumping ability. It leapt from object to object, going up to the tall buildings, and blowing a raspberry at us.

"Wendy... Juvia is totally embarrassed right now." She told me while looking depressed, slowly walking into the toy store to find some cute plush dolls with a trail of water behind her.

"Don't worry, Juvia. I'll try to catch the Froakie. No matter how fast it moves or how high it jumps, that's probably all that it can do." I replied nicely while seeing the blue creature leap from building to building. It even spring jumped down to the top of my head, before it jumped again to a nearby white café table to eat the blueberry pie that I had bought as breakfast.

I had thought about using Sky Dragon's Roar to stop it, but the winds might hurt innocent people in the process. Juvia had already done some intense damage, and I didn't want to get blamed for wrecking more of the fine town. I looked cautious while seeing Froakie move very fast, but how could I get to it? I couldn't jump that high or move that fast, and Juvia's Water Body could only ascend to such high heights.

"Do you plan to fix the damage that your friend caused, or is Fairy Tail as reckless as the rumors say you are?" A blue-haired female researcher asked me from behind in a stern tone, pushing up her glasses while I slowly turned around to face her.

"I'm sorry, Sophie-san. My powers won't help, but you could ask Sabertooth. They have a mage with Memory-Make Magic, so send a picture of the lab when it was undamaged to Rufus Lohr. He'll fix it for you, and we'll catch the Froakie." I responded while respectfully bowing my head, before turning back around to see that the blue frog was quickly going down Route 2.

Of course, that conversation happened 20 minutes ago. Juvia had gotten some plush dolls for the kids, and we were now in Azure Town to search for that Froakie. The town looked quite beautiful with its waterway river and roads that were paved in brick and cobblestone. The stores looked pretty extravagant, and people were sitting at black patio tables inside and outside of the cafés.

My eyes caught sight of the Froakie in the air above us, grinning mischievously like it knew we were after it, and it opened its mouth while a light blue ball formed in front of it. How in the world could it use attacks? I had heard that these animals were suddenly appearing in Fiore, but their moves were unheard of. Froakie fired many light blue beams from the ball, instantly freezing me and Juvia in blocks of ice because its attack had caught us off guard.

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**Lucy's POV**

Sting and I had quickly reached Azure Town, and this place looked fascinating with all of the gorgeous buildings, paved roads, and the beautiful river that flowed with its sparkling blue water. There were cafés, perfume shops, toy stores, and even a cute pink bakery. This was definitely a great place to receive the Water Stone, but first we had to catch a Froakie. I wonder how it had gotten loose, anyway.

The blue raspberry perfume from a nearby shop was somewhat distracting, but good aromas were perfect for the wind. I had bought some of that same perfume in Lumiose Town, and now was the perfect time to open the bottle. Since Plant Magic worked with plants, even in aromatic forms, it would be useful here. Also, Wind Magic would be great for catching Froakie in the air. First, we had to find it.

"All right, then! Time for my first spell of Wind Magic, and it's called Aerial Lift!" I shouted confidently while holding the Hybrid Stone in my left hand, smiling happily.

This spell caused an emerald green gust of wind to swoop me and Sting upward into the air, throwing us into the sky while we screamed in amazement at the stone's logic of giving us an aerial lift. We were now high in the air, able to fly like birds, and we could search for Froakie from above. Sting surprisingly didn't even look motion sick, but then I realized that we weren't entirely like airplanes.

Upon seeing blue bubbles come speeding toward us, Sting and I quickly swerved to avoid them while the bubbles made blue explosions in the sky. I could see the Froakie laughing at us while it was situated on a rooftop, and I took notice of its features. It was a quadruped, frog-like creature. It was covered in pale blue skin with white front paws. There was a single, dark blue stripe going down the center of its head to its nose. Its eyes were large with yellow sclera, black irises, and white pupils. A cape of white bubbles covered its back, and it had two small bubbles on its nose. These bubbles seemingly gave Froakie added protection from attacks. Its hind feet had two toes, while its forefeet had three.

The Froakie released a blue ball of blue water from its hands, aimed at me, and I looked fierce while countering that attack with my second spell. It was known as Wind Tornado, and it simply made me unleash a small tornado of emerald green winds from my mouth. My attack collided with Froakie's, creating both a blue blast and a green blast of energy, and the light was too bright for me and Sting to see anything.

We simply flew around the blast, landing on the rooftop where Froakie had been, but it simply blew a raspberry at us while spring jumping to a faraway rooftop. That thing was quick, causing me to activate my next spell. This would be known as Wind Arrows, and this spell caused me to have a green bow and a green arrow in my left hand. Balancing an arrow and pulling the bow back for power, I simply took aim and let it fly in the direction of Froakie. However, my eyes widened in shock at the sight of it jumping down to a tree while a sudden gust of wind made my arrow's trajectory get sent towards what appeared to be two ice sculptures.

A green explosion occurred, breaking the ice, but even the explosion's waves weren't enough to get Froakie off of that tree. It just sat on a tree branch while peeling a banana, and that gave me an idea. Sting and I both gave each other a happy smile while we held hands, jumping down to the pavement while I had a surefire plan to catch that jumpy Froakie.

"Sting, listen. I have an idea that might work, and it's brilliant!" I told him with a confident look on my face, adjusting my pink hat while pulling out a purple brush from my red skirt to brush my raven-black hair.

"Whatever you have in mind, let's hear it. Knowing what you create, Lucy, it might really be as awesome as you make it sound." He responded with a cocky smirk, rubbing my back for a moment since Froakie's fooling around was definitely getting me frustrated.

Knowing that Plant Magic was still an option, I sighed happily while feeling Sting's soft hands on my back. In a hot spring, he would definitely be the man for me. His abs were so great to feel, his chest really made me blush, and that accidental kiss made me really feel how his lips were kind of nice. My face was now filled with a red blush, looking happy to be here with Sting, and I accidentally created a new spell.

It was known as Attractive Daisy, and it caused the trees to all be surrounded by a pale green aura while the falling leaves began to be frozen in time. Froakie looked shocked while eating the banana, suddenly finding itself stuck to the tree branch, and I knew what was happening. Attractive Daisy made all kinds of plants become magnet-like, and it also trapped leaves and fruit in a state of stasis for a while.

I had certainly not intended for that to happen, and I also didn't expect what would happen next. In front of the tree where Froakie was, my violet eyes widened in amazement to see that those two people trapped in the ice had been Juvia and Wendy from Fairy Tail, the former glaring at me like my name was spreading through Fiore like wildfire. Were they after Froakie, too?

"So... You are the girl named Serena that Juvia has been hearing about. Team Natsu has been looking for Lucy Heartfilia, so tell Juvia if you've seen her!" The Rain Woman demanded sternly while pointing at me with her left index finger.

"Lucy Heartfilia, huh? Never heard of her, but how have you heard of me? If you're after my stones, buzz off like the fly you are." I retorted harshly, not taking any chances to really converse with my old nakama.

"Juvia is only after Gray-sama's heart! He will love Juvia one day! She is as cute as this Vaporeon plush doll, and this Glaceon doll makes Juvia look even more lovable!" The blue-haired woman replied happily, making the two dolls kiss while imagining them to respectively be herself and Gray.

Feeling a bit creeped out by the scene Juvia was publicly displaying, with many kids looking disturbed to see a grown woman role-playing with plush dolls while they passed by us, I activated my next spell of Plant Magic. It was known as Spring Seed, and it made me shoot out a small green seed from my mouth. The seed landed in between Juvia's feet, making a giant tree spring up from underground, and its tremendous emerging force sent her high into the air while the plush dolls landed in Wendy's hands.

The tree quickly exploded, and the force of the pale green blast obliterated the tree where Froakie had been immobilized. It was sent high into the air like Juvia, but it landed in my arms when it was descending to the ground. My third spell of Plant Magic was known as Grassy Synthesis, and it caused to sun to shine down on the town while perfectly healing the damaged trees to make them be like they had never been hurt in the first place.

Froakie smiled at me, before hopping on top of my left shoulder, and I giggled a bit. It really was a playful creature, and it would be nice to have a pet in Sabertooth. Sting had an Exceed named Lector, Rogue had Frosch, so I had every right to have this cute little Froakie. It really did seem nice, and having a companion would be a lot of fun. Now that the mission was complete, I was feeling really happy.

Sting told me while looking happy about something, since he had been putting his hand in the water of the nearby river to pick up a blue object while Juvia was being weird, "I'm going to make your day even better, Lucy. I found what we're looking for."

He placed a blue stone in my hand, and it began to emit an azure glow while I curiously looked at it. Would I now have Water Magic like Juvia, and could I effectively handle it? This was an incredible feat, really. Sting helped me calm down while trying to catch Froakie, and now he helped me find the Water Stone that I needed. He really was a better guy than Natsu, and I only had one way to thank him.

Pulling him closer to me for a moment, I happily kissed his lips while closing my eyes. I put all of my romantic feelings into our real first kiss, and it felt wonderful for me to feel Sting kissing back. He had some feelings for me, too, and I pulled away while blushing a light shade of pink. He was so helpful, so hardworking, and he was so hot. When he put his hands on my cheeks, I blushed while my heart beat slowly to hear his wonderful voice.

"You're a really good kisser, Lucy. That was really nice, and your skills are definitely improving. We'll win the upcoming Grand Magic Games for sure, and I know you'll be a big help." He told me in a sweet tone, charming me with his eyes while he smiled and gently stroked my black hair.

Wendy shouted in shock, having been beside me and Sting when we hadn't paid any mind to her, "Lucy-san?! You're Lucy Heartfilia?!"

"No, little girl. I'm Serena Fennekin, but Lucy is my nickname that he gives me." I lied with a straight face, hugging Sting while also glaring at him for nearly blowing my cover.

"Okay... Well, I'll inform Professor Sycamore that Froakie has joined you. Goodbye, Serena-san." Wendy told me while bowing her head respectfully, smiling a bit while running off with the plush dolls as we all could hear Juvia scream while landing in the nearby town of Santalune.

Feeling that we had to be much more stealthy, Sting and I went to a nearby café to discuss our discretionary skills. What we didn't know, however, was that a couple of people in orange suits had been watching us from inside the buildings with high-tech cameras ever since we entered Azure Town. As we entered the nearby café, something was odd about the receptionist with short green hair and green goggles to match...

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**How was Chapter 11? Lucy now has a pet of her own, and she has obtained her first kiss with Sting! She also has the Water Stone, too. However, what shall happen in Lumiose when Team Flare bothers our new couple while they're on a date? Will Lucy get some redemption after suffering humiliation at the hands of Furea? Standby for more!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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**Lucy's POV**

It had been a week since Sting and I had found Froakie in Azure Town, and it really did make a great pet for me. Froakie had used its Frubbles to act like a sticky substance, throwing them at me while I leapt from tree branch to tree branch in the Santalune Forest, and this was to help me work on my speed and reaction time. My physical strength wasn't up to par with other people's skills, and I wanted to change that about myself.

Sting had also been firing his Holy Rays at me from behind, and this training was also helping with my Plant Magic as well. In fact, I had created a few new spells that could really pack a wallop when necessary. This training was making me become like a ninja, and I had to keep moving faster to evade the attacks that were coming at me from behind.

My newest spell of Plant Magic, Cute Petals, had the ability to simply make pink flower petals float through the air towards their target. However, their effect would definitely be one that I would like for sure. The petals could create green blasts of energy when they came into contact with physical objects of any kind, and they could also make a few more flowers appear on the ground if I ever needed backup.

However, speaking of new spells, the Water Stone still hadn't worked yet. Sting and I hadn't trained near water, so that was probably why the stone had failed to work. I also knew that water could conduct electricity, so facing anyone like Laxus was totally out of the question. I would be able to beat Natsu, though, making me definitely get some payback for him kicking me off the team and replacing me with Lisanna.

Today, however, Sting and I had been instructed to go to Magenta Plaza. This place had an elegantly flowing fountain of water in the plaza's center, and we had to enter the red building behind it. This place was known as Lysandre's Café, and this would be my first time entering a café with Sting. Just because we had kissed, that didn't officially make us boyfriend and girlfriend. He didn't want to rush into things, and I didn't want to move too fast with him.

We had seen an orange flyer on Sabertooth's request board, strangely requesting my presence. Sting had been stern about it, thinking that it could be a trap by Team Natsu, but I decided to just check it out. The client hadn't listed their name or the job that they wanted me to do, so what were they planning? Who were they, and what kind of angle were they working? Luckily, I had the elemental stones in case of a fight breaking out.

"Lucy, are you sure that you want to meet this client?" Sting asked me in a cautious tone, narrowing his blue eyes while he looked at me.

"Don't worry about it, Sting. If they try to start a fight, we'll handle them. Let's just order some food for ourselves, listen to what the client has to say, and we'll leave if the job is too dangerous." I replied with a soft smile on my face, confidence in my violet eyes.

As we entered the café, I gasped in awe at the elegant red carpet with the brown walls to match. Pictures of coffee drinks and cakes were hung on the walls, and Sting led me to a square table that was close to the red counter. He pulled out my chair for me, prompting me to run my hands through my transformed black hair and smile at Sting.

This place seemed like a normal café, having many people simply eating cakes and drinking coffee while being served by girls who were wearing orange business suits with orange skirts to match. They also wore red sunglasses, which I found to be really interesting. The cashier was a girl who resembled Erza, but looked a few years younger in comparison to her.

Being in a café with Sting right now was almost like a good dream, and I wanted to get to really know him. After all, he was my partner on all of the jobs that we did together. However, what was I going to ask him? I didn't want to dig too deep into his personal life like some crazy stalker, since that would probably have him running out of the café before the client even got here.

Speakin of the client, what would they be like? I certainly hope it wasn't anyone from Fairy Tail trying to pull a prank on me, or I would definitely feel bad about my cover being blown like that. I also hoped the client wasn't a stuck up princess who didn't want to be with common people, since a snobby attitude was one thing that I certainly couldn't tolerate.

"Hey, Sting. What's your favorite place in the whole world?" I asked him, kindly smiling while I blushed a light shade of pink.

"My favorite place would be Glitz Town, which is somewhere near Lumiose Town. It has an amusement park, hot springs, movie theater, subways to take you many different places, a cool Ferris Wheel, and its focus on electricity is perfect for me to eat light when I need to recharge. Anyway, I'll go get us some pie and drinks if that's all right with you." Sting replied calmly, flirtatiously smirking at me while he blinked his charming blue eyes.

As Sting went to the red counter where the cashier was located and ready to take orders, a woman resembling Jenny Realight came near my table and pulled up a chair next to where Sting would be seated. Her blonde hair flowed down to her ankles, and she wore an orange business suit while also wearing an orange miniskirt like the girls at this café. She also wore yellow goggles to obscure her eyes, making me remember how that receptionist from the café in Azure Town wore green goggles over her eyes.

"Serena Fennekin, correct?" She calmly asked while sitting down, smirking a bit.

"Yes.. That's me. You must be the client who sent that anonymous job request to Sabertooth's request board for me to find, right? Wait, how do you know my name?" I replied, puzzled by this woman's mysterious nature and knowledge of my name.

"I am Electra, a scientist in Team Flare, and we've had our eyes on you. You've been collecting the elemental stones to become stronger with new spells, and they certainly are impressive. However, you really lack a lot of control from what we've seen. Furea was right about her observation at the Reversal Mountain, but you probably have gotten stronger." She explained nicely, grinning like she had some kind of job that needed to be handled.

I was honestly shocked that the client was a member of Team Flare, but she knew Furea? That girl had been like my rival, despite her outclassing me when she wielded the Fire Stone's powers against the Darkness Magic of my Dusk Stone. Still, I quickly shook off the shock when I realized that people in Team Flare obviously knew each other. Was Electra a top-rank member?

"You guys have been watching me? Why?" I curiously asked, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of being tracked or stalked.

"Serena, you have collected five of the elemental stones that shall change the world. You've used their spells to make some great attacks, but they could be much greater. You have quite a lot of potential, and we've had our eyes on you. You recently obtained a Water Stone, but it's weak against spells that involve electricity. Lightning Magic will defeat you in a flash, and your powers have their limit. However, you can go through mega evolution." She continued on in a nice tone of voice, obviously speaking of my faults first.

"Mega evolution? What's that?" I asked with a puzzled facial expression, not knowing that about the stones at all.

"The stones that you wield have limiters on them that keep you from making more spells, correct? They also put a restraint on your level of power, but mega evolution removes all the restraints to give you spells that you can only dream of creating. For example, that Flare Blitz spell you used... If you had used mega evolution, that power would've been ten times as great." Electra responded, looking impressed at what I had created, and she pulled out a yellow stone with electricity swirling around it.

"How in the world can you make electricity be visible without using a spell?" I asked while looking completely astounded at what my violet eyes were seeing.

"Those stones have their limits for magical power, but us scientists of Team Flare have extracted energy from the creatures in Fiore. Yesterday, we extracted energy from a Raichu for the purpose of powering up the Thunder Stone I used for experimentation. Its electrical abilities were sent into the Thunder Stone, giving me its power of lightning with much more enhancement involved." The blonde woman told me while grinning a bit, almost like she knew my upcoming reaction.

At this point in the conversation, I really was shocked to hear how Team Flare did things. They extracted energy from those strange creatures to power themselves up and become like mages? Now I realized what Furea had been doing at the volcano in Reversal Mountain, and Electra had some nerve to really ask for my help. My motives for being a mage were good, not bad, so why would I help a criminal?

"Extracting energy from defenseless creatures is totally messed up, Electra! I can't believe that you'd even do something so horrible, and then have the nerve for asking me to help you out with whatever you need! There's no way I'll assist you in being evil!" I shouted harshly while standing up out of my chair, glaring down and the blonde lady who was smirking intelligently at me.

"Hear something important from me, though. You lost to Furea in such an uncool way, so you can't beat her. I'm currently in the state where my spells are mega evolved, and that does enhance them when they revert back to normal. All my spells are powerful like hers, so this is an offer you can't refuse. You should know that when Team Flare asks for help, it's something that affects you." She answered back sternly, folding her arms while removing her yellow goggles to let me see her golden eyes.

What matter could she possibly have that concerned me? Was she talking about Fairy Tail, as in Erza and the other members of Team Natsu being hot on my trail now? Had Wendy seen through my lie and reported to Fairy Tail that I, Lucy Heartfilia, had disguised myself as Serena Fennekin and come out here to make a new life for myself? I began to tremble a bit, and I slowly sat back down while breathing deeply to calm myself.

Sting smiled at me while coming back with two cups of sugary hot chocolate, and he hid a faint smirk when he looked at me to let me know that his enhanced hearing had captured every word that Electra and I had uttered during our conversation. The fact that she was so calm really made me kind of scared of her, but I clenched my fists tightly with the intent to take on anyone she sent after me.

Still, what job would she have for me? It wouldn't be something like infiltrating a high-tech building to retrieve a data disk, would it? Sting and I wouldn't have to stop someone who had planned to burn up the world, right? The anticipation of even finding out the job was nerve-wracking, and it might be something involving volcanoes or earthquakes.

"What's the job that you have for us?" Sting asked sternly with a harsh facial expression, emphasizing the word "us" to make sure I wouldn't be alone in this.

"It's quite simple, really. A test subject of ours needs to be... eliminated." Electra replied kindly while putting her yellow goggles back on and disappearing in a flash of yellow lightning.

**How was Chapter 12? This is part one of the "Team Flare" arc, by the way. The Water Stone will be used in the next chapter, and mega evolutions will really come into play. Will Lucy be shocked at the experiment that was done, and who was it done to? Will it partly explain why Fairy Tail has gotten tense? Standby for the update!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

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**Lucy's POV**

After Sting and I had left Lysandre's Café, we both felt uneasy about going on this job that was given to us by Electra of Team Flare. Something about her was pretty suspicious, and taking jobs from criminals was a bit unorthodox. Sting and I hadn't said a single word to each other while we walked back to the Sabertooth guild. This mission would be dangerous, especially Electra told us how someone had to be eliminated.

However, despite the risks, I had to keep my head up and smile. Sting didn't like to see me in a state of discomfort, his blue eyes filled with some doubt about going on this job that had been addressed to me, but I had to assure him that everything would be okay. He would probably protect me on this job, but what could I do for him? We couldn't even have a romantic talk in that cool café, due to Electra having business with me.

She informed us that the job would be taking place in Glitz Town, Sting's favorite place to be, and I had to use that little detail to my benefit for cheering him up. After all, what was our team without him? It was true that we didn't have a team name yet, but we could make one. Still, what would it be to really make it sound totally cool and to Sting's liking?

"Look, Sting. The job takes place in Glitz Town, like Electra said. After we finish it, then we can spend the rest of the day there for some great fun! We can even ride the roller coaster until we both get sick, and we'll eat all the pizza that you want! I'll even take pictures in the photo booth with you, so you have to be happy about the personal reward that I'm offering you here!" I told him with a pleading look on my face, pulling him close to me while smiling a bit.

"All right, fine. I'll go on the job with you, but don't take it lightly. Just because you have five stones, something tells me that this will be far from easy. Team Flare always likes to test out stuff, and they throw out the garbage that they don't need. Thanks for the pep talk, Serena. I really needed that to get the doubt out of me, and we will totally have fun in Glitz Town! Besides, the bad guy might be disguised as a stuffed animal prize or even a clown." He replied calmly, starting to have his usual optimistic smirk while he chuckled and removed my hat to playfully rub my head.

I was glad that I managed to bring back his proud attitude, and the way that he rubbed my head made my cheeks blush a light shade of pink. He planted a soft kiss on my cheek for what I had said to him, and my happy giggling caused him to hug me while knowing that I would be there for him when he needed my assistance. We were now going to have fun, but I just had to tempt fate like that.

Suddenly, a white energy wave came in between me and Sting while the wave matter knocked me backwards and sent me falling to the floor. I landed on my rear, rubbing it because the attack gave me a hard landing on the carpet, and my violet eyes were narrowed at the sight of Minerva glaring down at me like I had don something that could destroy Fiore.

She told Sting and I in a harsh tone, glaring back and forth at both of us, "Sting, you don't even go out on jobs with me, Rufus, Orga, and Rogue anymore! I do hope you're not being a lazy slacker with the pathetic Serena over here! The same goes for you, new girl. We don't accept freeloaders in Sabertooth, especially not when the Grand Magic Games happen in a few months! I doubt you're even up to par with Yukino, who we kicked out last year!"

"I am totally up to Sabertooth's required level, Minerva! I can use Fire Magic now, and I'll be glad to burn you for my demonstration! I bet my Flare Blitz will even make you scream in fear, so you better watch yourself around me!" I retorted angrily, wanting to punch her right in the face for saying that I was pathetic.

"Gee, someone knows how to get flared up over one little thing. You're more dramatic than destructive, Serena, and you're a mere failure in my eyes. You say that you're so strong, yet have we gotten to really see your awakened level of power? I highly doubt you even know how to make good spells, since throwing out useless ones wouldn't suit you at all." She shot back in a taunting manner, doubting my abilities.

I was seriously about to hit her, but Rogue had used his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic to make shadows cover our mouths for a few minutes while also rendering us speechless during those little moments. He was the calm type of person, showing hardly any emotion on his face, and he probably didn't want to see a fight break out in the Sabertooth guild. After all, this place wasn't rowdy like Fairy Tail.

"Hey, Sting. You must be wearing women's perfume because you smell like a girl and baked cookies that are fresh from the oven." Orga told Sting while chuckling a bit, noticing the scent centered around the white dragon slayer.

To ease the tension a bit in my own comical way, I simply struck Orga's dark shoes with small fireballs from my palms while I saw that Sting was totally getting irritated by that comment about him smelling like a girl. Orga screamed while quickly running out of the guild to douse his shoes in the fountain that was in front of Sabertooth, causing me to be amused.

Sting chuckled at what I had just done, causing me to smile at the fact that he had definitely gotten him to be free of that doubt from earlier, but seeing Minerva smirk at me was really something to worry about. She had just seen a little taste of my power, and Fire Magic was clearly impressive to her. Well, how could I be shocked by that? Last year, Natsu attacked Sabertooth's lodgings during the Grand Magic Games and nearly got Fairy Tail disqualified. Obviously, Minerva was there to see him fight the guild master.

"Let's go to Glitz Town, shall we? After all, this is not only a day of fun but it's a grand opportunity for us to get acquainted! We may actually find you to be useful to Sabertooth!" Minerva said with a smile on her face while walking and simultaneously shoving me out of the doors, just in time to see Orga return with his dry and doused shoe.

Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga followed me and Minerva out of the guild and we all took the northern route that led to Rouge Plaza and Glitz Town up ahead. The town was on Route 14 of Fiore, basically providing enjoyment before mages would have to meet the Laverre Nature Trail that contained lush trees, boggy swamps, and a frightening house.

While we were walking, or as I was being shoved, I didn't notice that Wendy and Juvia were sitting on a park bench near the fountain in Centrico Plaza while they were eating some hot dogs from a nearby vendor. There was something weird about Juvia, though. I had hoped that Wendy didn't see, since the question of me being Lucy Heartfilia would have a tough answer and harsh results.

* * *

**Wendy's POV**

Juvia and I had traveled all the way from Magnolia Town by foot, since the last train to Lumiose had left before we could board it, and we were now trying to rest for a bit. Erza-san sent us all the way out here to this part of Fiore because of the Serena sighting that Gray informed her about (Possibly after Chapter 10), but she had instructed us at the last minute to find info on Lucy.

We even showed photos of her to people on the train, but we had no luck. Where could Lucy be? On top of that, Juvia had been acting pretty strange ever since we did a job in the Chroma Highlands of Almia last week. That place had been surrounded by a black mist that had been created by some creatures known as Murkrow and Honchkrow, and their aerial moves and fast speeds were too much for us to handle.

I couldn't breathe in any air, since it somehow nullified my Sky Dragon Slayer Magic when I tried inhaling the black mist, and Juvia wasn't so lucky. She kept yelling for the intruders to appear, breathing in the black mist, and Honchkrow's Dark Pulse had really struck her hard in the head. It had fired a black orb of energy from its mouth, causing a black blast of energy to surround Juvia, and it knocked her out.

Thinking quickly, I had managed to use the last bit of my powers to use Sky Dragon's Roar on the ground while propelling us away from that area. I can heal poison, but my powers had no effect on Juvia. Her hair had turned black, her eyes turning an ominous orange, and I didn't know what to do. We hid behind a grassy bush, and I saw two red-haired women in white business suits walk past the bush while snickering evilly. They mentioned something about being top admins in something called Team Flare, but that didn't matter to me. Juvia had regained consciousness after a few hours, but she gave me a really bad feeling.

"Juvia, how are you feeling? Are you happy that we're helping Gray?" I asked nicely, seeing her brush her black hair while frowning sternly.

"How dare you ask such a thing, Wendy! Happiness is disgusting to Juvia, and she only lives for a malicious thrill. Dark power must rule, for it is what Juvia shall cherish forever. Stay away from me!" She angrily told me, her eyes having an intention to kill while grabbing me by my neck with her left hand.

Before I could react, Juvia threw me into the fountain while she ran off towards Rouge Plaza with a vicious look on her face. I didn't know what had gotten into her, but that Dark Pulse made such nasty thoughts enter her heart and mind. That black mist was terrifying as well, and no one in Fairy Tail knew about a cure for this kind of thing. I quickly jumped out of the fountain, and I noticed Juvia running much faster while her skin was turning pale white. What was happening to her?

**Sting's POV**

As we arrived in Glitz Town, I smiled nicely at the sight of Lucy's violet eyes twinkling with delight when she noticed that a large part of the town was an amusement park with its high-speed roller coaster, Ferris wheel, casinos, prize booths, photo booth, restaurants, cannons, and other attractions. My stomach growled from the smell of hot pretzels being baked, and the pizza was really going to be delicious.

Lucy really has gotten stronger, and I hope she get the chance to fight with that Furea chick again. When she gives it all that she's got on a job, Lucy really becomes a powerful mage. That Flare Blitz spell was something that could probably turn Natsu to ashes in mere seconds, and I really like how Lucy's improving. I plan to teach her the Clone Technique soon, knowing she'll love it.

"Where should we go first, guys?" She asked with an excited look on her face while her eyes were scanning the area from her frontal view.

I suggested while fixing my hair to look good for her, smiling while taking in the lovely scent of chocolate shampoo from her raven-black hair, "How about we all split up for a while and meet back here when we're done? Serena and I have a job to do in this town, and too many people might make our mobility be restricted."

Nobody had a problem with my idea, as I expected from how cool my plans could be, and Minerva immediately walked over towards the restaurant with Rufus. Rogue simply went to get cotton candy with Orga, leaving me and Lucy alone together. This was a pretty sweet way of fate letting us have time to ourselves, and I'm sure we could find that person we needed to eliminate. I'd seriously laugh if they were in a chicken suit, since they would get broken like eggshells by me.

Lucy had a deep red blush on her face while she was thinking about something, and the way how she twiddled her thumbs while turning away from me was simply adorable. Wait, was she wanting to go on a lovey-dovey ride with me? No way. I would not be caught riding in a heart-shaped boat, especially since my motion sickness would just worsen the situation.

Besides, I wanted to go to the hot springs for some relaxation. However, there was a little quirk about me with hot springs. I wasn't exactly the type of guy who could bathe alone, and I didn't feel like being in a hot spring with a bunch of other dudes. It would be cool to be alone in the water with Lucy, but then I'd have to hide the fact that I had perverted tendencies. How could I ask without sounding stupid, though?

I told Lucy in a calm tone when she turned back around to see me smiling, "If you don't mind me suggesting this, we should go to Glitz Town's hot springs. They're rarely used because of the new one that was founded on the other side of Fiore in Lavaridge Town, a town that actually has a hot climate and people who use Fire Magic. Anyway, do you want to go?"

I had to summon up most of my courage to ask her that, and this would be my first time being alone in a hot spring with a woman. Not that I was planning to do anything to her, but I wondered how Lucy felt about my question. Either she would say yes and go with me, or she would say no and think I was a creepy pervert. No matter what she said, I knew I'd be in hot water either way. I didn't want to seem like a disgusting pervert who needed a kick to my groin, but I also didn't want to be in the hot springs alone.

"I'd love to go with you, Sting! They obviously filter out the water and change it each day, if the staff has nothing better to do! To put it simply, my answer is yes! I can even use Fire Magic to give myself a hot bath!" Lucy replied happily while hugging me again, and she looked at a nearby wooden sign that displayed map of Glitz Town. The hot springs were northwest, past an area overgrown with cedar trees to conceal their whereabouts.

At the mention of giving herself a hot bath, I blushed a bit from imagining Lucy relaxing in bubbling water. She'd look so calm, sighing happily while the bubbles and steam made her look hotter than ever, and her hair would be looking great. She'd probably be getting soapy while swimming around in the water, and she'd have no towel on. Wow, that would be... Oh, man! I'm getting pervy, and I quickly turned my head away from the sight of Lucy's soft smile.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I held Sting's hand in mine while I giggled a little bit, and we ran off in the direction of the hot springs. As I was excited to finally have some alone time with Sting, my senses caught up with me and I stopped for a second. Hearing soft footsteps that I recognized coming from behind me and Sting, I narrowed my violet eyes at the lone mage from Fairy Tail.

Juvia now had black hair and orange eyes while fiercely clenching her fists, and she seemed to be pretty angry with me about something. Had she known I was Lucy, and was she here to take me back to Fairy Tail? What was going on with Juvia, though? Her eyes seemed to filled with immense hatred for me, like she was planning to tear me apart.

"You're Serena, right? My name is Juvia Lockser, and Juvia hates you. Juvia hates everything, and she want to tear you to shreds just for looking at her! You're an enemy of me, and Juvia will take her time killing you. Juvia will break you into pieces for having the stones, and malice will rule. Juvia cannot let anything of light exist!" She angrily shouted at me, a black aura surrounding her body while her orange eyes seemed to pulsate with energy.

"I don't know what your problem is, Juvia, but I can't let you destroy this town if you hate everything! You won't bring me back to Fairy Tail, either!" I retorted with a tough look on my face, ambition filling my violet eyes while I pulled out the Water Stone from my left skirt pocket.

Even though there wasn't any water at the entrance of Glitz Town, Juvia practically was water. In other words, this would be a battle of Water Magic. I simply had to try and make better spells than she could. As I saw the Water Stone radiate with an azure glow, I knew that the conditions had been met. Now I just had to wait for Juvia to make a move.

She put her hands in front of her body with her arms stretched towards me, and Juvia unleashed a Water Cyclone like I thought she would. However, the color of her attack was black instead of its usual blue. I couldn't waste any time with a distraction like that, so I activated the first spell of Water Magic. It was known as Water Pulse, and it caused me to create a blue sphere of energy from in between my hands. Then, I fired the sphere at Juvia's attack to hopefully cancel it out.

The Water Pulse spell created a blue blast of energy, obliterating the Water Cyclone in the process, and I had my second spell on standby. I guess all that training in the forest with Froakie really paid off, since I had to predict which tree branch would come next while simultaneously dodging attacks. Speaking of dodging, when the blue smoke faded away, I found myself having to evade a new move from Juvia.

Her fingernails had turned long and black, her hands turned into pale white claws, and she angrily slashed at me while screaming vengefully. I managed to dodge her strikes, and my next move was known as Aqua Glue. This spell made me unleash blue blobs of gunk from my mouth, watching them make Juvia's new claws sticky before solidifying on them, and they created miniature explosions that made her hands return to normal from the feeling of pain.

Juvia fiercely glared at me while attempting to hit me with a high-speed blast of water from Water Rush, but I managed to quickly counter that attack with my third spell. It was known as Crab Hammer, and it caused me to jump into the air while my left hand turned into a blue pincer that resembled a crab's. I slammed my new pincer down on Juvia's face, sending her rolling backwards from the harsh impact.

When I confidently smiled at the sight of Juvia panting while being on her hands and knees, something shocked both me and Sting. Her mouth was dripping with some blood, but it was not red. That stuff was black, and she suddenly began to yell in pure pain while her teeth turned into fangs. She fired another black Water Cyclone at me, only to have me unleash my fourth spell from the Water Stone.

This spell was known as Irregular Aqua, and it simply caused me to unleash a powerful jet of blue water from my mouth. Since Juvia's Water Cyclone could only go straight, I made my attack curve around to hit her from behind while it had grown in size with its effect of also absorbing anyone else's spells of Water Magic to give it extra power.

Juvia had been struck from behind with my attack, a blue blast of energy transpiring once again, and I had been hoping that she stayed down after that. However, upon seeing blades from her Water Slicer spell come at me, I smiled a bit while creating my next move. This spell was known as Sapphire Shield, and it made a large blue teardrop-shaped shield appear in front of me and Sting while having a sapphire jewel in its center. Juvia's slicing blades made contact with my defensive shield, only to be reflected right back at her while creating miniature sapphire blue explosions.

The Rain Woman yelled harshly, breathing in all the smoke while the black aura went into her nose, "Your presence of goodness is poison to Team Flare! Juvia shall kill you, and you will be eliminated like the trash you are. Filth like you is going to ruin everything, and you make Juvia feel sickened with pain and the feeling of anger."

"Juvia, what in the world happened to you? What's all this talk about Team Flare?" I curiously asked, wanting to know if Electra or Furea did something wicked to make her like this.

"They called Juvia annoying when she back to the black mist... That wonderful mist... Mable said Juvia was a good specimen for experimentation, but her power wasn't enough without a lust for killing... Shut up! Don't try taking my attention away from you!" She explained while giggly evilly, as she once again became furious.

She placed both of her hands together to create a high-pressured beam of water towards me, and I quickly countered that while unleashing my sixth spell. If it was a battle of beams, then Scalding Shot would do the trick here. I released a stream of scalding hot water from my mouth, and it was surrounded by boiling hot steam. It destroyed Juvia's attack, hitting her hard in the chest, and the intense heat caused her to violently scream in agonizing pain.

Wanting to end this before things could get worse for either of us, I activated my final spell of Water Magic. This attack was known as Torrential Destruction, and it caused a glowing light blue ball of water to appear in my hands. The ball grew to the size of my hands, before growing seven times that size, and I quickly threw it at Juvia while she was caught off guard.

When the attack made contact with her, a massive blue blast of energy occurred while I had centered all of its power on damaging Juvia alone. I could hear her scream in pain, and I looked shocked to see black mist rising up into the air before disappearing like it was leaving Juvia's body. I looked shocked when the light blue clouds of smoke cleared up, seeing Juvia with blue hair again and her eyes had gone back to their normal blue color. She was unconscious with her eyes and mouth open, but I looked surprised to see that Wendy was watching the entire thing with a saddened facial expression.

"Even if I heal her now... Will she be all right?" Wendy asked me in a kind tone, her brown eyes having fear in them from seeing Juvia so bent on being evil.

"The black mist has left her body. She just needs healing and rest." I replied with a soft smile, before taking Sting's hand in mine to continue our walk to the hot springs.

"What the hell was her problem?" Sting asked me with a puzzled look, wondering if Juvia really was that insane.

"It's simple, Sting. She encountered Team Flare, and Electra wanted us to eliminate what they had considered worthless to them." I told him while looking stern, knowing that using dark power like that on an innocent person was just plain wrong.

**Electra's POV**

I had secretly followed those brats to Glitz Town, hoping that they would dispose of the garbage, and Serena certainly did annihilate the test subject. She really does have a lot of power. My yellow goggles, like the goggles and glasses of every Team Flare member, can detect the level of a spell's power. Serena Fennekin's last spell had a power of 987,654. That's a pretty high number, the highest I've ever seen, and this experiment was a total success.

She really does have skills, and I'll have to report this to Furea. After all, this girl has potential to mega evolve her spells. Even without enhancement, that last move was at the level of a weak spell going through mega evolution. That power is perfect for Team Flare's grand plan, and it's only a matter of time. Serena still has much to learn, but she wields delicious power.

As I watched everything from atop the merry-go-round, I still wonder about her other stones. Are they all going to have that wondrous power? If so, Serena needs to really be provoked with anger. Juvia couldn't handle her anger at all, but Serena's got so much aggression from her conflict with Minerva. From what I see, disguised as a member, Serena just needs a little push for her abilities to awaken.

**Sting's POV**

Lucy and I made it to the bathhouse of Glitz Town, and went through a door leading to the bathing areas. I read a wooden sign on the wall with arrows directing the males to the hot spring at the end of the left hallway, and directing the females to the hot spring at the end of the right hallway. Wow, they really couldn't have mixed bathing?

"Well, I guess this means we have to separate for now. It's a real shame, since you probably look beautiful." I told Lucy while sighing a little and looking somewhat disappointed, before heading into the changing room on the left hallway.

"What's wrong, Sting? You're not afraid to bathe without me, are you? Or are you thinking of seeing me naked?" Lucy asked with a flirtatious facial expression, her violet eyes twinkling a little before putting a gentle index finger of her right hand to my lips.

I immediately blushed and turned around, not wanting Lucy to see how I reacted to her question. I really did need her company, and since she came to Lumiose Town to escape her past, letting her join me was the least that I could do. Looking shy for once, I tried to give Lucy a response. However, before I could, my blue eyes saw Ichiya and the Trimens of Blue Pegasus walking towards the bathing area and I didn't want Lucy feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed by flamboyant guys like them.

"Ok, it looks like I'm going in the women's bathing area with you today. I don't want anyone getting frisky with you, Lucy. I'll never let such a degrading thing happen to you, especially not by those nerds." I replied while smiling, and running with her to the women's changing area when the lady at the desk turned her head for a moment.

I felt slightly ridiculed for having to take off my clothes in a pink room for the females, but I had to do it to keep Lucy safe. I wasn't going to let perverted guys grope and possibly rape her, and I didn't want her to go through any hurtful situations like what Natsu had done to her. After all, keeping her happy was an important part of loving a girlfriend.

I put a white towel around my waist, and ran out of the pink stall in the changing room after hearing another stall open and close a few moments earlier. Running down the hallway to make sure no other guys followed me and Lucy here, I had the determination to keep my companion safe and sound. I could see a splash in the hot spring, so Lucy probably needed me to save her from drowning.

**In the hot spring... (Note: Contains some lemon.)**

I opened the sliding door quickly, and nearly came skidding to a halt when I saw what was in front of me. Serena stood up in the water while slightly bending over to wash her ankles, her long raven-black hair covering her back but giving me a perfect view of her nice and curvy rear. I wanted to scream, and my heart was palpitating at a fast pace. I was seeing a glorious sight in front of me, and my face turned a deep shade of red. Even the water drops that slid down her rear looked amazing, and I wanted to get closer.

I used my willpower to move a few steps toward the hot spring, starting to run, but then I fell into the water after slipping on a something that felt like a stone. It had slipped out from under my foot, and I could see it gently hitting Lucy's rear while I was trying my best to not have a nosebleed. After all, I was trying to hide my pervy side.

"Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance." She told me while giggling, as I rose my head to the surface and spat out some water. I saw Serena's large breasts in front of his face, prompting him to blush even more. They probably felt really soft like feather cushions, but I would never degrade Lucy. Even if my perverted thoughts tried to overpower me, I had to maintain his composure. I exhaled a light breath of air, calming down a little before speaking.

"Listen, Lucy. I just don't feel comfortable to be naked with you, and I don't know what might happen if we bathe in here together. I just don't want anything bad happening to you!" I blurted out while looking a little bit depressed and thinking that Lucy might hate me forever, feeling bad about what I just admitted.

Instead, I felt her arms hug me around the waist and I felt Lucy's warm breath on my back. Her breasts pushed up against me, obviously getting me out of his zone of composure once again. Lucy put some vanilla body wash on her hands, and she began to rub my back in a slow manner. Whether she was Lucy or Serena, this was hot.

"Sting, it's ok. Remember what happened in the mansion when we got the Dusk Stone from Gengar? Well, just like last time, I trust you to protect me. I know you would never do anything wrong to me, and I would never do anything major to you. Unlike with Natsu, I can trust you. Sting, I feel safe with you. Even if you were wanting to see me naked and be alone with me in here, and even if you groped my breasts to shield them from guys, I know it's because you're protecting me." Lucy responded with a smile on her face, as she continued to wash my back and then rested her head against it.

I smiled slightly and I knew that I could trust Lucy and I could trust myself as well. Whenever I doubted myself, Lucy always comforted me. It was always reciprocal when she had problems, too. I had managed to help her gain confidence in herself while she helped me gain composure. I could feel a love blooming between us, like those flowers in Lumiose Town's floral shop.

I turned around to face Lucy, and I began to look at her breasts and her face. I grabbed a shampoo bottle that had been floating around in the water, and I poured some shampoo on to Lucy's breasts. I overcame the hesitation of touching her, and I began to rub and caress them with my delicate hands. They felt soft, very warm and soft.

Lucy blushed and gasped slightly from the feeling of my soft hands caressing her breasts while my fingers occasionally touched her nipples with gentle ease. Her body became hot like the water, and she let out a soft moan into my left ear while I proceeded to wash around her navel area as well. Her body was really stunning, and her hotness amazed me.

"Ahhhhh… Sting, you're really good at this…" Lucy moaned while I was washing her with the cold shampoo and letting her rest her head on my chest. Lucy felt like I had to taken her to heaven, hence my attacks being holy. She giggled when my hands accidentally touched her ticklish areas, causing me to smile. I loved hearing praise from Lucy, and she would hear some from me soon enough.

"_She's so beautiful when she smiles. Lucy needs light in her life, and I'll illuminate her heart." _I thought to himself with a smile when my blue eyes met her violet ones. I was so entranced into her eyes, that my hands unconsciously moved towards Lucy's curvy rear and they began to massage it and give it some relief from the hot water.

Lucy blushed even more from the pleasure that my hands were giving her, and she let out more soft moans when they smoothly stroked their way down to her feet and all the way back up to her neck. Clearly, I was quite the masseuse. He loved hearing Lucy's feelings of enjoyment, and I wanted to get some things off of his mind.

"I was wondering… Would you ever consider saving money and moving somewhere close by, since you've been living in a bakery, Lucy? Also, did you have fun today even though we didn't get to do much?" I asked while blushing and looking nervous about the questions that I asked her, hoping I wasn't asking too much.

Lucy's eyes widened in amazement when I asked such important questions and she told him while beginning to smile and relax in the water, "I'd love to be closer to you, Sting! Even if I have to live in that expensive place known as Hotel Richissime, you'll still see me for jobs! Besides, don't fret over Juvia and Team Flare's stupid task wasting our time. The day's not over until midnight, and we have enough time left to have fun in the amusement park!"

I looked happy at her answer, a sense of joy being seen in my awesome blue eyes. I swam over to Lucy while we floated together in the hot water, and I put my hands on her cheeks that turned a light shade of pink. I didn't know if she liked the taste of my lips from the kiss we shared in Azure Town, and I wanted to officially show Lucy my love and dedication for her.

Lucy could tell that I was about to kiss her, and she closed her eyes while moving her black hair out of her face. She leaned in for her part of returning the kiss, as she smiled and let the blush on her face do the talking. Our hearts were probably both beating with feelings of anticipation, wondering how their first official kiss would turn out.

Our lips connected after a few seconds, and I pressed his lips against hers in a gentle manner. I didn't want to go too hard, and I was surprised when Lucy a.k.a. Serena returned the kiss with her lips giving me a sense of bliss. I put my arms around her waist while she put her arms around my neck. She tasted white frosting on my lips, since I had eaten a delicious funnel cake a few minutes before we arrived at the hot springs. I enjoyed how Lucy's lips tasted like syrup and waffles, her favorite meal at breakfast time.

Lucy broke the kiss for a moment, and she smiled while blushing at me. She jumped into my arms, so that I would carry her in a bridal-style fashion. We both blushed while smirking flirtatiously at each other, and we were about to kiss again. If she had stayed beside me while we were in the mansion, I would've totally held her hand because I care about her.

However, we were interrupted and looked extremely shocked when we saw Minerva standing on the concrete with her purple towel falling downward like her jaw at what she had seen since I forgot to close the door. Oh, boy. My current girlfriend is in the same place as my ex-girlfriend, the woman who nearly killed her and might rip me to pieces right now...

* * *

**How was Chapter 13? Quite the amount of plot twists in this story, huh? Sting loves Lucy, and Minerva is his ex! What will happen when those two woman have a conflict here? Also, could Team Flare be up to more madness? Was Fairy Tail targeted from the beginning? Standby for the shockers that will really electrify this story!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I could only look surprised at Minerva suddenly appearing in the women's bathing area of the hot springs, and Sting being there right now made the situation really awkward. To make it even weirder, Minerva had seen us frolicking around in the water the entire time, but she didn't hear everything that we had said. Still, I blushed a deep shade of red before going into the water and hiding behind Sting for safety.

Minerva looked really peeved at the sight of me and Sting in the hot spring together, and I could tell that she was probably going to blow a gasket. She kept glaring at me and then back at Sting, her green eyes moving slowly like a tiger waiting for the perfect moment to strike its prey, and her angry facial expression reminded me of the time that she almost killed me in the Naval Battle.

"Sting, you disgusting pervert! I know that you want to move on from me, but you have no business being in the women's bath! You think that just because I'm your ex-girlfriend that I will allow such disreputable behavior from a member of Sabertooth, especially since you're with that pathetic girl?!" Minerva harshly told him while glaring at me like I was soon to be mauled by her.

I could see how tense Sting looked to be in front of Minerva, especially in an awkward situation like this one, and I swam to be beside him to show that I supported in any of his personal matters. Besides, Minerva was being really rude to him. The fact that she called me pathetic was really frustrating to deal with as well, and I was tired of taking verbal abuse from her.

"Don't be so harsh on Sting, Minerva! It's not his fault that he's clingy towards me, but he just didn't want me to be in here alone and possibly get groped by nasty guys! If you're his ex, then it shouldn't matter to you what he does!" I shouted with a defensive facial expression while narrowing my violet eyes, ready to attack Minerva with Scalding Shot if necessary. I always came to Sting's defense, even when the situation got awkward like this one.

Still, had Minerva followed us here? Was she trying to come between me and Sting, despite knowing full well that he wanted to move on to me? I could see why he dumped her, since she was so sadistic and vile. Her fashion may have been great, but her attitude was certainly the exact opposite. The fact that she was interrupting my hot spring time with Sting was certainly a thorny issue, and I needed to address that.

"Look, let's just all agree that I shouldn't be in the women's hot spring. I followed Serena because I didn't want any other guys trying to harm her when she was going to be in the changing rooms by herself. She's the best partner that I've ever had, and I want to be there for her when she needs me." Sting explained calmly, glaring back at Minerva like he would kill her for interrupting a peaceful moment.

She teleported Sting back into the women's changing room where she had seen his clothes in a stall, prompting me to gasp in shock at the sight of my lover vanishing right before my eyes. Clenching my teeth and growling a little, I went out of the hot water and on to the concrete floor before dashing at Minerva with my left fist prepared to hit her at full force for being so brash to Sting.

As I pulled it back and released it, Minerva caught my fist and held it in place while smirking evilly at me and beginning to chuckle a little bit. After all, if Sting had been training me for a month, how could I honestly be impulsive enough to start things off with an attempted punch? Minerva kept chuckling like I was a weakling, and I was so tired of her always looking down on me.

"Why so direct, Serena? Are you angry that I sent your boyfriend back to the changing room, so he could get his clothes on and leave? Did I interrupt your lovemaking? Was he turning you on with his hands and charm while groping you? Did he mark you with a bite yet to claim you as his? Did I intrude on the part where you'd moan his name while he would get frisky with you?" Minerva asked in a taunting manner, continuing to smirk at me while her words kept making me glare angrily at her.

"Shut your mouth, Minerva! My relationship is none of your concern, and we were having a nice time before you showed up and spoiled our chance at getting another official romantic kiss! He didn't mark me yet, but I'm about to leave a mark on your face! I should use Flare Blitz to incinerate you right now!" I retorted harshly with anger in my violet eyes, as I tried to strike Minerva with my right fist this time.

However, Minerva caught that hand as well with her left hand and she held my fists in place before sadistically crushing them a little bit. I winced in pain from Minerva's impressive brute strength, and I had fallen to my knees in front of the tiger lady who held my fists captive while continuing to crush my hands as punishment for defending Sting.

"Yes, kneel before the one who is superior to you and know your place. I do wonder what I would've gotten to see if I had stayed hidden. Perhaps you would've been screaming Sting's name if he took your virginity and made your entire body feel good. Still, when it comes to style, smarts, strength, sexiness and sophistication, you're nowhere near my level. You really shouldn't try to fight someone when you have no chance of winning, sweetie." Minerva told me while she smirked and had leaned in close to where our lips could almost touch when she was giving me that condescending speech.

I was getting really tired of people underestimating me, my blood coming to a boil. This reminded me of the time when I fought against Furea, and she saw me as a pathetic loser who could never ascend to her level even if I dreamed of it. I hated being looked down on like I was a fragile weakling who could be easily pushed around like I was garbage, and Minerva was beginning to push me to the edge of my tolerance with snobby girls.

"If I have no chance of beating you, then let's prove it! When we get back to the Sabertooth guild, I'm going to fight you! If I win, then you have to let me join the guild!" I shouted fiercely with determination in my voice, as I used my wet hands to loosen Minerva's grip and free them from her captivity. I didn't even care if Minerva was one of the people rumored to be Fiore's "Elite Four", since I would take her down.

"Well, a lady must accept a challenge even if it's from someone who appears to be really weak like the trash mage that she is destined to perpetually be. This will definitely make me laugh, and you'll have to do whatever I say after I win. In fact, for starters, I'll make you wear a dog collar to let everyone know what you are. You're a stinky little bitch." Minerva replied while smiling deviously, her green eyes twinkling to match her smirk. The sunlight shined on her tan and oiled skin, as she turned around and bent over with her rear directly in my face. I gasped while she passed a large amount of gas in my face, and she dove into the water after ramming her large butt against my face.

I felt utterly disgusted by the stink that Minerva had put on me, and I simply decided to go to one of the bathhouse's showers to get this putrid smell off me. I honestly felt like fainting from Minerva's fumes, but I didn't want to look weak before our match had even begun. I was now naked, but I quickly reached the shower room to get myself smelling clean again before going back to the changing room to get some new clothes that I could make with Transformation Magic since Minerva probably shredded my old clothes with her hands. Her butt had felt like being hit hard with iron against my face, and I'd be surprised if I didn't have bruises, a black eye, or missing teeth from her nasty way of putting me down.

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**40 minutes later... (Sting's POV)**

I sat at a picnic table with Rogue and Frosch under a tree on the green grass eating an entire cheese pizza and drinking soda from a large-sized cup. There were some hot dogs and cheeseburgers on the picnic table, too, saved for Lucy when she was done in the hot spring. I wonder how things went with Minerva, knowing those two would probably have a heated argument, but those two luckily hadn't created any alarming explosions to frighten anyone.

Minerva and I used to be lovers before Lucy/Serena came into my life, and Minerva was so controlling. She never liked how I could eat so much in mere minutes, always telling me to not be a filthy pig, and she even made a 32-page contract about our relationship. Seriously, would anyone really be able to handle someone like her? I dumped her because I hated all of her damn rules, and she gets jealous and angry when I talk to other girls. I do what I want, and she needs to accept that instead of wanting me back by forceful means.

"How have things been going with you and Lucy, Sting? She seems really nice, to say the least." Rogue calmly told me while eating a cheeseburger, sharing half with Frosch.

"Whoa, Rogue. How in the world do you know she's Lucy?" I asked him in a stern tone, never having told him the secret that she was hiding.

"I was escorting Princess Allie to the Parfum Palace while we walked through Azure Town, and I had overheard your conversation while we walked by you two. The princess even wanted that Froakie, but I gave her my Umbreon after mentioning that it looked cute in the moonlight just to make her stop acting bratty." He replied with a frown, feeling somewhat bad about giving up his beloved Umbreon.

Honestly, Rogue should be glad that he took that job. I wouldn't have the patience to deal with a spoiled princess, and those creatures were pretty valuable. Despite me not owning one, I thought they were kind of cool. This thing called an Electivire seemed pretty cool, and I wanted one. Of course, I'd have to find something called an Elekid first. While those thoughts drifted through my head, the strong smell of blue raspberry shampoo and apple cinnamon soap reached my nostrils. Was pie nearby?

Turning my head around for a moment, I saw Lucy/Serena running towards us while happily smiling. She smelled really good, so was she planning to freshen up for our date? I didn't have my comb with me, so fixing my hair by hand in a matter of seconds was kind of difficult. She now wore a yellow variation of that pink hat, a white T-shirt, a yellow miniskirt, black leggings, and some golden flat shoes. Her black hair and violet eyes looked totally awesome with the sunlight shining down on her face.

She looked just as hot as she did in the hot spring, and I had to drink some Coca-Cola to calm myself down and keep me from chuckling at how beautiful her body had looked. She was looking at me like she was going to have something great to tell me, but what could it be? Did she want to kiss me again, or enjoy the ice cream sundae that I'd buy for both of us?

"Hey there, Lucy. You're smelling really good today, and I like those scents. I could sniff you all day if I could, since you're sweet and you smell sweet." I told her with a nice smile, but then looked a bit stupid at my bad comment about sniffing her.

"Sting, I got into an argument with Minerva and we're going to fight when we get back to Lumiose Town!" She told me with both nervousness and confidence in her voice while giggling a little.

At that moment, I nearly spat out my soda while coughing a bit and looking completely appalled at what Lucy just told me. Was she seriously going to take on Minerva, someone who was even stronger than me and Rogue combined? Either she thought she was ready and skilled enough, or the steam from the hot spring had fogged up her brain while the water leaked common sense from her ears and out of her head.

"Not that I doubt your abilities, but please tell me you remember the Naval Battle from last year. You got completely pulverized by Minerva when she took your keys from you, and she'll probably do worse to you after she takes that book! You should just tell her you'll forfeit while you're still in one piece and have your life intact! Just because you and my ex-girlfriend hate each other, don't end up dead for my sake!" I shouted while looking extremely concerned for Lucy and showing obvious worry in my blue eyes.

Lucy replied while sitting down and locking eyes with me as she looked completely determined, "The odds of me winning are probably slim to none, but I still have a small chance of beating her! I won't give up, after what she said about us! I won't let my pride and dignity fall so easily, and I absolutely refuse to look like a failure in front of you because I mostly admire you! She even farted in my face after saying that I'd be her servant and wear a dog collar if she won, and no one is allowed to be so brutal towards me like that!"

I widened my eyes in amazement at the last thing Lucy had said. She refused to look bad in front of the person she probably admired the most? Was she doing this because she cared about me more than proving anything to Minerva? Was I the thing that was giving her such a strong resolve to beat Minerva? I didn't exactly have the utmost belief that Lucy could beat Minerva, but what kind of teammate was I to be saying she should forfeit like nobody was rooting for her?

I said nicely with my frown changing somewhat into a little smile, "We've been working as a team, so I should act like we're a team and encourage you in this instead of tearing you down. Sorry about that, Lucy. I'll be rooting for you, so do your best."

She giggled happily at the fact I was beginning to see her reason for wanting to fight Minerva, and she felt totally ready to take her on. However, the growling of her stomach put a halt to her plans for now. She started eating a cheeseburger, and filling herself up with food to be energized for the fight later on. While Lucy and I were eating, she started feeling something in her cute yellow hat.

As she took it off her head, a yellow Thunder Stone fell on to the table while yellow sparks of electricity were emanating from it. This sight made me, Lucy, Rogue, and Frosch become intrigued. Had someone secretly hid that stone in Lucy's hat, and why would they do it? Was it Electra's way of saying thanks for taking down that crazy girl that Lucy defeated earlier? Team Flare was up to something, but I still had no clue what they were truly after.

Lucy ate fast to keep her high metabolism from digesting things quickly because that occurred when she ate slowly, and she smiled while feeling full of unbridled energy at the moment. She knew that there was still time for her and I to have fun, so she giggled in a happy manner and grabbed my hand before running off with me to one of the amusement park's attractions. Rogue and Frosch followed us, obviously having nothing better to do.

We made our way to a concession stand where ten bottles were stacked on a table, and each customer had three tries to knock them down with their magic to win a creature that was in one of the Poké Balls. Apparently, these creatures were rare and pretty cute for anyone who wanted them. I confidently smirked while obliterating the white soda bottles with White Dragon's Holy Ray, earning me cheers and an applause from nearby customers.

Since I had obliterated the bottles, the manager of the stand gave me all three of the capsule balls as my prizes. I opened them all up to see that these creatures were the ones known as Fennekin, Chespin, and Flabébé. The fox with yellow fur was a Fire-type, the spiny armored animal with a green shell covering its back was a Grass-type, and the flower-like creature was a Fairy-type. That last one honestly freaked me out, especially since it smiled and said its name nicely.

"Wow, they're just as cute as Froakie!" Lucy said while happily looking down at the three creatures that were looking up at her in an adoring manner, and she giggled while Chespin ate a hot dog that someone accidentally left on the concession stand.

"Oh, great. Now Chespin's making me hungry just by watching it devour that whole thing." I responded kindly, my stomach not feeling full while I still looked famished for a good dessert.

* * *

As we went to get some cotton candy, I heard the sound of wings flapping from behind and I looked a little bit frustrated while perfectly knowing the sound. I turned around quickly to see my red Exceed named Lector land on top of my head and smirk arrogantly. I also saw Froakie hopping on to Lucy's left shoulder, so one of them had traced our scents all the way here.

"Sting-kun, you left me behind at the guild! I wanted to come along, too! I guess you didn't want me to barge in on your date with your girlfriend! Speaking of her, Froakie wanted to come along as well. I told him that he couldn't come, but he convinced me after hitting me with Water Pulse and saying mean things!" Lector told him while pouting and taking a quick bite of a little girl's blue cotton candy when she passed by.

"Wow, he's cuter than Happy and Carla!" Serena said with a happy smile on her face while hugging Lector and accidentally putting his face in between her cleavage. He shouted for air to breathe, prompting her to release him from her grasp. I was pleasantly surprised that Lector could translate what Froakie was saying, seeing as he immediately told his frog companion to shut his mouth and stop croaking. At least he wasn't like that talking Meowth that I saw two months ago with a magenta-haired woman and a purple-haired man in white uniforms.

"As you can see, Lector, Lucy Heartfilia is using Transformation Magic to be disguised as a girl named Serena Fennekin. Too bad she only has enough energy for the transformation to last five days straight, unless she dispels it during those 120 hours." I explained to my best friend while smirking at Serena's yellow skirt being lifted up a little by a passing breeze that came through Glitz Town.

I also told Lector to keep quiet about Serena's true identity, because I really didn't want Minerva to find out. She would obviously throw a huge fit about it and probably tell Fairy Tail which is what Lucy and I wanted to avoid the most. We got some large sticks of blue cotton candy, and their delicious taste was satisfying enough for me to buy more for later.

While Lucy was having fun at the arcade, concession stands, the roller coaster, and the Ferris Wheel with me, Froakie, and Lector, she also knew that each passing minute would draw her closer to her fight with Minerva. She was probably becoming with some nervousness, having remembered her extraordinary abilities to teleport her energy wave attacks and manipulate the spatial matter around her. Hopefully, some kind of spell from the Thunder Stone could counter that type of Magic. Although, I knew it was highly unlikely that summoning a clone of Laxus Dreyar would be possible for the Thunder Stone when Lucy had that idea.

* * *

**Back in Lumiose Town... (Lucy's POV)**

All of us had made it back to the guild, prompting me and Minerva to immediately glare daggers at each other. We stood across from each other in the wide space between the guild and the fountain, and both of us were ready to start this fight. I was going to show her that I was no failure, and she was going to be defeated by me and my Thunder Stone.

I quickly pulled out the Thunder Stone, and looked completely confident while it emitted a bright yellow glow. I decided to activate the first spell of Lightning Magic, and it was known as Electrical Strike. This spell caused my body to become surrounded by electricity, and I fired multiple yellow beams of electricity from my body at Minerva. However, she smirked evilly while teleporting out of the way and my electric beams made cracks in the ground when they made contact with it.

Minerva's energy waves attacked the area around me with tremendous force, propelling me into the high into the air, and I gasped in shock at the sight of Minerva teleporting directly behind me to deliver a brutal kick to my back. That made me cough up some blood, and I fell to the ground while my impact made a crater appear in the process. While I was falling, Minerva made things worse by slamming her fists against my back and my chest.

"Are you going to give up now, you foolish little girl?" Minerva asked while smirking evilly, as she saw the medium-sized crater down below with me appearing to be unconscious while I groaned in pain.

"Are you going to dodge this next attack?" I asked in a confident tone before quickly standing up, and I activated the Thunder Stone's second spell. This move was known as Light Ball, and it caused a yellow sphere of energy to form in between my hands. I threw the sphere at Minerva with all of my strength, only to see her warp my attack to hit me from behind! A yellow blast of energy occurred, the electricity causing me great discomfort, and shocks were tingling through my body.

If long-range moves wouldn't work, I had to attack Minerva from up close. My next move was known as Thunder Punch, and it caused yellow lightning to come down from the sky and strike my right fist to infuse it with electricity. I ran towards her with a determined look on my face, but she threw a large energy wave at me to block my path. I had to block it with my fist of lightning, creating a miniature yellow explosion while golden smoke filled the area. The electric waves were providing energy to me, but where was Minerva?

Before I realized where she was, it was too late. She had kicked me up into the air from behind, teleporting quickly to be over me with a devilish smirk on her face and that evil look in her green eyes told me that she was planning to end this here and now. I quickly activated a spell known as Motor Drive, but even the yellow aura surrounding my body wouldn't protect me from her attacks. She punched me in the face repeatedly, brutally delivering slamming kicks to my stomach, and her sharp fingernails tore away at my skin, causing me to bleed while screaming in agony.

As I fell to the ground, my violet eyes widened in horror at the sight of Minerva sending an extremely large energy wave towards me. My impact with the ground created another large crater in the earth, and Minerva's energy wave felt like being hit with titanium while it also made a large explosion occur. I kept screaming from the agonizing pain, unable to move, and I trembled at the sight of Minerva standing in front of me with a look that she had the intention to kill me.

She brutally slammed her foot on my head, causing me to cry while tears fell from my eyes, and my breathing became anxious. I became filled with fear, thinking I wouldn't be lucky enough to even survive this fight, and I even imagined myself in a dark void with Minerva smirking evilly in front of me and towering over me while I was also beginning to shrink to the size of a bread crumb. I couldn't move at all, and I really felt like I was backed into a corner.

In reality, Minerva had used another large energy wave to make the ground explode from underneath me and it cracked while I fell down into the hole. Minerva began filling it with large boulders, crushing me, and I cried while feeling that there was nothing I could do. She really was more skilled than I was, probably an expert, and there was no way for me to win.

"Wow, you really are a trashy waste of human life. I told you that fighting me was a bad choice, and you are fun to torture. Oh, well. I'll get you out of there in a few hours, Serena. You're a failure, and you will become my bitch because that's what filth like you deserves. It must hurt to be the scum on the bottom of my shoes, and I'll show Sting how good a real woman can be." Minerva evilly told me from above in a heckling manner, as I could hear her wickedly laughing.

I knew this feeling of failure all too well, ever since I had been outclassed by Furea from Team Flare, and I didn't want to lose Sting. Just saying that wasn't enough, though. I kept hearing Furea laughing at me inside my head, and I kept trying to erase the images of Minerva getting romantic with Sting. I had done this for him, because I admired and cared for him, so there was no way I could lose here. Not in this situation.

Knowing that my limits gave me three more spells, I decided to activate Motor Drive again while simultaneously activating the fifth spell. It was known as Electric Chain, and it made the boulder above me turn yellow while it was becoming infused with electricity. I could feel Motor Drive making me move a bit faster than normal, and the boulder above me shattered into yellow sparkles while electricity entered my body. I became twice as fast now, and I used Electric Chain to destroy the other eight boulders that Minerva threw to keep me down in that hole of sadness.

Now moving ten times as fast, I quickly moved at Minerva's teleporting speed while emerging from the hole with an angry look on my face. I was not going to let her take Sting from me, and she was not going to win this fight. I was going to become stronger than her, Natsu, Erza, Electra, Furea, and anyone else who tried to see me as inferior.

I stood up slowly with my black hair covering the determined look in my violet eyes and told Minerva in a confident tone while smiling a little, "I absolutely refuse to lose here, especially in front of the person I admire the most! He's not seeing the crying girl that he's been saving from being hunted down by fairies, Minerva! He's seeing the girl who likes him immensely and can't bear to look weak when his eyes are on me!"

"For someone who was just trembling and going to beg me for mercy, you've got a lot of smug confidence! Let's see if it gets you anywhere, Serena!" Minerva yelled fiercely, as she had a sadistic look on her face and sent an extremely large energy wave at me.

Her attack was coming at me quickly and she'd probably teleport it to hit me from elsewhere, but I used my sixth spell to prevent that from happening. It was known as Static Split, causing an extremely large beam of lightning to come down from yellow clouds that suddenly swirled around in the sky, and the lightning struck Minerva's attack while splitting it into eight energy waves. The energy waves turned into golden beams of lightning, their power growing exponentially by how many projectiles had been made, and all of my lightning attacks struck Minerva faster than she could teleport!

Many yellow blasts of energy transpired in front of me, blinding my eyes, and they also blinded the eyes of Sting and the others. When all of the golden smoke cleared up, Minerva was battered, bloodied, bruised all over, and she was now knowing the agonizing feeling of the pain she caused to me. After her green eyes were narrowed, locked with my violet eyes, both of us knew that the next strike would decide the victor.

My seventh spell from the Thunder Stone was known as Voltage Strike, and it caused lightning to come down from the sky and zap my body with tremendous power. Thanks to Motor Drive, I hadn't taken even a slight bit of damage. My body became surrounded by golden electricity, and I ran towards Minerva at high speeds. She was quick enough to prepare one last enormous energy wave, obviously going to slam me with it, but you know what? I would take this attack, because a person who aspired to become strong could endure it.

* * *

**Sting's POV**

I immediately gasped in amazement when Serena and Minerva locked eyes and struck each other in the chest with a brutal electrical punch and a vicious energy wave. A golden maelstrom of electrical energy occurred immediately, and it made the sound of a large explosion while also spiraling with purple energy from Minerva's wave matter! We all covered our eyes, and the noise was loud enough for Master Jiemma and other members of the guild to come outside and see what happened.

Man, this battle was intense. I wondered if Serena and Minerva were even alive after clashing like that, and they had gotten the attention of everyone in Lumiose Town. Lucy's electricity, though.. Now that was a real shocker. She really was getting stronger, and her attacks had become really creative. Even when she was losing, she never lost her hope to win.

"Wow, that Serena girl has tons of magical power. I don't think any of you saw that coming, right? Damn." Orga commented while looking utterly surprised at the tower of golden and purple energy exploding into a large blast of those colors with tons of black smoke appearing.

After seeing that explosion, my blue eyes widened in amazement from what just happened. Their magical power had fused together from their attacks producing the tower of energy, but that explosion meant that one side's attack had gotten through. Who had won the battle? Lucy or Minerva? I gulped with anticipation while looking utterly nervous, seeing the billowing clouds of smoke clear up.

When the black smokescreen slowly faded away, I could see Serena and Minerva struggling to stand while they had both panted heavily. They had both used up a lot of magical power and physical strength from having such a grueling battle, and they both took immense damage from each other's attacks. Their legs were trembling, nearly giving way with only sheer willpower keeping both girls on their feet, and they confidently smirked at each other before falling to the ground and losing consciousness.

I caught Lucy as she fell, and Rufus had caught Minerva. Lucy's stones had fallen out of her skirt pockets, and Rogue picked them up while we all proceeded to walk inside the Sabertooth guild to take both girls to the infirmary. Froakie looked concerned for Lucy, but he really shouldn't have been. She would recover, and this fight was really the best one that I had ever seen.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Serena. You and Minerva are going straight to the infirmary for a good rest, after a battle like that. I was wrong to initially doubt you today, and who would've thought you would be a match for Minerva? Even though it was a draw, to me, you're the winner. You really are getting stronger." I told her while smiling calmly, as I carried her into the guild and headed to the right elevator to get to the infirmary.

Rogue whispered to himself in a stern tone, saying something I decided to ignore, "There are six elemental stones here, so she only has two more to find."

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Natsu's POV)**

After Lisanna went out on a job with Mira, I felt lonely and annoyed at the fact that my girlfriend had gone all the way to Azure Town because of a sighting of Lucy today. No one cares about that useless piece of crap, really, and I don't even care where Lucy is. Honestly, hunted down or not, she's still pretty weak. I bet that she hasn't even figured out how to read a map yet.

I'm just glad that Erza called off the search last week, meaning Mira and Lisanna went out of their own free will, leaving me to just relax here. Cana took over the job of barmaid, giving me the steak I asked for, and Gray's just being really annoying with his crazy talk about that Serena chick having powers that were off the charts. Seriously, I doubt that she's powerful.

Wendy is still watching over Juvia in the infirmary, and all she's been mumbling about is Mable and something called Team Flare. Is she talking about that Raven Tail chick who lives in the Sun Village? Also, who the heck is Mable? Whatever. As I sat alone at the table with Erza and Happy, Laxus entered the guild with a calm look on his face. Oh, this news should be good.

"Erza, she wasn't near the Parfum Palace. The area over there is all burnt up like Natsu was there, though." He simply told her, before walking to Master Makarov's office.

"Natsu, I need you to-" Erza told me sternly, before Happy interrupted her by shoving a flyer in front of my face.

"Natsu, look! Look at this! There's a brown flyer specifically addressed to you!" He said while looking ecstatic about going on this mission, making me wonder what it was.

I looked at the flyer to see that its date was for next week, giving me a job in the Sandy Desert, but what could be there for me, Happy, Erza, Gray, and Lisanna? As I looked at the client's name, it made me wonder why someone named Furea requested to mostly see me. If she wants a fight, then I'll give her a great fight that burns her out! She better bring it on!

* * *

**How was Chapter 14? Pretty exciting, huh? Lucy and Minerva are now like rivals, which is cool. Sorry if Natsu's a bit OOC, but that's how he'll be for this to be a StiCy. After all this, will Lucy really be allowed in Sabertooth? Will she finally have a place to stay? Will Sting finally teach her a type of magic that we've all waited to see? What happens to Lisanna and Mira when they find Lucy? Standby for the next update!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I slowly opened my eyes to find that I was in a room that looked like the infirmary with many white beds, white walls, tiled floor, and a white desk that had a white medicine cabinet above it that obviously contained medicine and first aid kits. Upon looking down at the tiled floor, I was shocked at what I saw in my reflection. My hair was long and blonde again, my eyes had turned back to being brown like sweet chocolate, but I wasn't wearing any clothes. As I prepared to transform again, I heard someone snoring softly nearby.

Sting had been sitting on a chair next to a small table by my bedside ever since the fight with I had with Minerva, which ended in a draw, resulting in both of us having serious injuries. When I noticed that my opponent was gone, I sighed sadly at the fact that Minerva woke up first. I wondered who had won the fight in the end, since I still remembered falling to the ground before blacking out.

I had put every ounce of my power into that fight because I was in love Sting, and I refused to let him be in Minerva's clutches. He had been training me to become more powerful, and I couldn't look like a weakling in front of him. On top of that, Minerva deserved to get beaten down after making me smell so bad and having to shower for 30 minutes while using five bottles of blue raspberry shampoo and three bars of apple cinnamon soap to get the smell of her gas off of me.

"Rise and shine, snoring Sting. Wake up, please." I whispered in a gentle tone with a smile on my face while I rubbed his head a little bit to make sure that Minerva hadn't drugged him with pills in his sleep.

Sting said calmly while opening his blue eyes and letting out a loud yawn before rising his arms high above his head, "Oh, you're finally awake. Man, Minerva was only asleep for four days straight while you slept for five full days. You must be hungry, so I'll get you some breakfast."

My brown eyes widened in amazement at what Sting had just said, and I seemed disappointed while still sighing sadly and lowering my head a little. I had been asleep for five whole days? That immense amount of magical power that I used from the Thunder Stone, combined with my injuries, definitely took its toll on my stamina. Looking at Sting for a moment, I trembled a little before I spoke.

"Who won the fight, Sting? Did I lose, after all that?" I asked with disappointment in my brown eyes, as tears began to form. I had made a bet with Minerva that she had to let me join Sabertooth, if I won, and I had agreed to be Minerva's servant if I lost. Had I unleashed those powerful spells for nothing? Had all my efforts gone to waste? Would fate crush me down like those boulders, and would my love for Sting have to be gone for good?

"There's no need to cry about it, you know. I'm not surprised that an epic battle like that ended in a tie, so both of you won! Minerva told me about the deal you two made back at the hot spring, so you're going to be in our guild now! This is awesome!" Sting replied while smirking confidently, before hugging me and wiping away my tears.

I immediately felt a sense of relief and I blushed while getting out of bed and returning the hug to Sting. A warm feeling overcame me, as I felt him put his arms around my waist and stroke my back softly. I let my fingers slide up and down Sting's abdominals to feel how hard they were, and I blushed a shade of hot pink when Sting softly kissed my forehead because he had been worried about me.

Still, I had every right to blush and be happy right now. Not only could Sting and I be together while both of us were now part of Sabertooth, but I had fought Minerva to a draw. She was the strongest female in Sabertooth, and I had actually managed to give her quite a challenge. My abilities really were getting stronger, and this confidence really made me want to challenge Furea to a rematch soon.

Of course, I knew that she was getting stronger as well. Those people in Team Flare looked pretty strong, and even challenging the weakest admin in their organization may prove to be difficult. While I used the Transformation Magic to become Serena Fennekin again, I gave myself a cute blue hat, a white shirt, a light blue miniskirt, and some sapphire blue flat shoes. My brown eyes became violet, and my blonde hair became raven-black while it grew longer to fall to my hips.

Today was going to be great, something giving me that great feeling, and I ran out of the infirmary with Sting to see that we were in a hallway with light blue tiles on the floor and golden wallpaper covering the walls. Upon seeing sparkling white glass doors surrounded by the elevator's golden frame, my violet eyes twinkled with delight while running to one of the buttons and requesting that we be taken upward from Floor B2F to the ground floor where Sabertooth's entrance doors were located.

"Instead of you alone getting the breakfast, Sting, I'll be happy to accompany you there. Think of today as the day where we can make up for the day Juvia and Minerva had ruined for us back in Glitz Town, and we'll totally have some fun!" I told him with a happy smile, clinging to his left arm while we entered the elevator to reach the guild's lobby.

He replied with a confident smirk while placing his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes with his charming gaze, as he handed me my elemental stones that he kept safe in his left pants pocket, "We'll also be helping you learn the Clone Magic, too. That's pretty vital, since you wield six types of magic. You'll see how it'll enhance into a major mage. You may also like surprises, too."

Even though I had joined the guild, I still lacked a place to live. Sleeping on the couch in the bakery on Autumnal Avenue was getting kind of old for me, and I had saved up quite a large amount of jewels last week from so many people asking to buy all the cookies that I had originally made for my welcoming party in Sabertooth. (That's what happened to all the cookies from Chapter 5, despite it not being explained until now.)

* * *

**Meanwhile in Azure Town... (Lisanna's POV)**

Mira-nee-chan and I had gone all the way out to this part of Fiore because of a supposed Lucy sighting that someone had informed Fairy Tail about, but this job was honestly really boring. We had been flying through the air, checking stores that Lucy might like, and even in the town's sewers to try and find that dumb blonde. She needed to accept that I was with Natsu now, and she would just be useless.

Lucy couldn't possibly be this far away from Fairy Tail, since she would be defenseless without her spirits. Her keys were still at the guild, and we were all thinking she would be predictable enough to come back for them. However, she hasn't shown up in weeks. I really don't see why we should hunt her down, even though smooching with Natsu in front of her would probably make her go insane.

We were now walking around in the part of Azure Town that had fashion stores, but we couldn't find Lucy in any of them. Her favorite thing was fashion, even though I thought she always looked horrible, but she wasn't here. How far could she have gone, honestly? Elf-nii-san was currently in the mountains to search for her, so I just had to hope that he would find her.

"Lisanna, I really hope that Lucy's okay. I know you probably didn't mean to shun her like the rest of Team Natsu had done, and she's probably starving for food somewhere." Mira told me with a concerned facial expression, not noticing I used our time of searching the stores to get some shopping done for myself.

"Oh... Right, sure. Lucy better be all right. After all, she's greatly missed by me." I lied with a happy smile on my face, simply looking at all the cute clothes in my cerulean blue shopping bags.

Unfortunately, saying that loser's name just had to make fate get on my bad side. My blue eyes caught sight of someone walking out of a blue building known as Café Eau Azurée, and her back from turned away from us while she was walking away from us. Her blonde hair was down like Lucy's would be, and she wore an orange T-shirt and a white miniskirt with some red high heels to match. A woman with short green hair followed her, wearing the same outfit with her miniskirt in orange and she wore green goggles to obscure her eyes.

Wow, had we seriously found Lucy? This was where she had been the entire time, and we had all gone far out to places like Route 217 in the Sinnoh Region and Route 111 in the Hoenn Region like a bunch of idiots. Well, it would be fun to make her see that Natsu's heart now belonged to me. We'd kiss in front of her, and things would even get hot to make her get jealous and cry like the attention whore she is.

I'd even rub it in her face that Team Natsu has been doing great on missions without her, and we are very efficient without anybody holding our team back. Lucy was always unreliable, and it really was amusing to see her walking out of a café like she worked there to pay some harsh rent. I certainly didn't want her back in Fairy Tail, and she could stay here for all I care.

"Hey, you! Lucy, it's me! Mirajane from Fairy Tail!" Mira shouted in a cheerful manner, putting a halt to my initial plan of taunting that blonde bimbo.

"You've got the wrong girl, dumbass. Who dares mistake me for that pitiful excuse of a girl?" Lucy harshly asked with her back turned to us, slowly turning around for us to see her face.

At that moment, I looked astounded to know that something was amiss. This girl had Lucy's voice, but she wasn't Lucy? When she turned to face us, I nearly gasped in complete shock. Her left and right eyes were pale green and forest green, something that was totally unnatural. Also, her eyes had given me a sense of fear with a chill in the air. They looked so malevolent, almost like Mira said something she shouldn't have.

"Uh..." I uttered while stepping back a bit, gulping nervously.

"I am Macy Mewtwo, and this is Bryony. She is one of the greatest scientists in Team Flare, the person who created me from simple DNA fibers that were found in Fairy Tail from the spy we sent to that hick guild. I don't know why you'd mistake me for someone that no longer exists, since Team Flare had no use for her." She explained harshly, viciously glaring at me instead of Mira for assuming she was Lucy.

Mira asked while looking beyond shocked at this, appalled that people could be so cruel like that, "You seriously mean that you guys killed Lucy?! You just took her hair, saliva, or something, and then killed her?!"

That woman named Bryony interrupted in a calm manner, grinning sadistically while looking at us, "Macy's a recent success in the experiment. She only awoke a few minutes ago, and saw the other clone that was in a large tube of hot water for the purification process. We haven't even met Lucy, but let's just say that our little spy likes to collect hair."

These guys had someone spying on us in Fairy Tail? If so, who? All I remembered about Lucy being in Fairy Tail was seeing her in the pool while I had attempted to drought the pool for her to have a harsh landing on her next dive, and there was nobody with her. Even when she went out on missions alone, it was just her and her Celestial Spirits. Who else was there? I hadn't seen anyone new around... At least I don't think I did.

Mira and I both looked curious to see Bryony pull out a Poké Ball from the left pocket of her miniskirt, and she pressed the button on it to release the creature that was inside. The look on Mira's face was an expression of pure disbelief, since what came out of that Poké Ball was a light purple or magenta free-form shape blob with vestigial facial features. It also appeared to have two vestigial, handless 'arms' protruding from its body. It transformed into that girl named Melissa Malicieux, and she grinned while giggling evilly.

"That is what's known as a Ditto, and it can replicate into anyone it sees. The real Melissa never joined Fairy Tail, nor does she even live near Fairy Tail. Your deduction skills are quite horrible, and your probability of winning is 1,000 to 1." Bryony continued, recalling Ditto into the capsule ball while she walked back into the café for Macy to finish us off by herself.

Before I could go into my Take-Over form, Mira quickly went into her normal Satan Soul Take-Over while firing Darkness Stream at our new target. Many black hands of Darkness Magic went straight for Macy, but she pulled out an emerald green Wind Stone before disappearing into the air. Where in the world had she gone to? When Mira's attacks crashed into the ground, I spoke too soon.

Macy appeared high in the air above us, and she smirked devilishly while unleashing a powerful green vortex of air from her mouth. Mira grabbed me with quick speeds, but even her ability to evade attacks wasn't enough to keep us from being pulled into that vortex of wind! I really feared for my life right now, since I wouldn't be strong enough to survive, and I wished that Natsu had been here to save me.

I could feel the vortex crashing into the ground, creating a massive emerald green explosion, but that was only the first part of our opponent's attack. She put her hands above her head, and sent enormous blades of wind down on us to end this. These people were seriously fierce, and I closed my eyes to take away the upcoming pain. When many emerald green explosions began to occur, Mira and I both looked frightened to see them propelling us all the way back to Fairy Tail with tremendous power.

* * *

**Sting's POV**

After Lucy and I had gotten breakfast from the WcDonald's on Estival Avenue, I decided to help her train while we weren't surrounded by many people. The Clone Magic required detail and control, in order to do a perfect replication. The user's magical powerful had to be perfect, too, or they would wind up looking stupid. To show Lucy a basic example, I put my hands together while quietly focusing my mind on the Clone Magic.

A white puff of smoke quickly materialized next to me, clearing up to reveal an exact replication of me, and that made Lucy look pretty impressed. If her and nine clones did one full hour of training together, that would actually be ten hours of training. Also, any information of spells that the clones received from the stones would be sent back to her when the clones were dispelled.

This technique would really be handy for completing multiple jobs in a short amount of time, and it would really let her concurrently test out different stones in different locations. She was really going to become strong, and now she closed her violet eyes while following my example of using this new type of magic. She looked so cute while placing her hands together, as she built up some magical power, and Lucy managed to make six perfect replications of herself.

"How was that, Sting?" She asked me with a happy smile on her face, jumping up and down excitedly with her clones looking happy as well before she dispelled them.

"That was totally awesome, Lucy! Man, you're really getting stuff down fast!" I replied nicely, gently stroking the left cheek of her face to show how impressed I was with her acing Clone Magic on her first try.

Lucy had never said it to me, but I had always took notice of her sleeping on the couch in the bakery on Autumnal Avenue. A pretty girl like her shouldn't be living in a place like that, and I had quite a good idea. I already had a room in a great place in this town, and many people getting off that Excess Express train had rented rooms at a great building known as Hotel Richissime.

She really needed to find a place to live, now that she was in Sabertooth, or so I had made it seem. Before we could even eat our breakfast, I took Lucy's left hand in my right hand before running off with her towards the hotel. Going from Estival Avenue, we went through Centrico Plaza, took the road down Hibernal Avenue, and Hotel Richissime was at the road's very end in the North Boulevard.

The hotel was a large black building, and it was even more fancy with its emerald green carpet that stood before the black reception desk. The walls of the lobby were white, and I led Lucy to the nearby elevator to take her to the destination that would surely make me a really good guy to her. I had confidence in my calm blue eyes while pressing the button that had a "7" on it, and the doors opened up to take us to the 7th floor.

While we were in the elevator, the theme of the Elite Four of this part of Fiore began to play as the epic elevator music. I looked totally psyched by the sound of it, since the Elite Four were the top four Wizard Saints. They were known as Wikstrom, Malva, Drasna, and Siebold. All of them are apparently like God Slayers, but they're much more powerful. Someday, I'll beat them all.

"Is that supposed to be elegant elevator music?" Lucy asked me while looking annoyed, as the loud rock music forced her to cover her ears.

"You can't anything less for the Elite Four, you know. They make Minerva look like a child. Don't tell her I know she lost to Drasna once, though." I responded, smiling at Lucy while we reached the 7th floor.

The elevator doors opened up to reveal a hallway, Lucy's room at the very end, and that was room 765. I took the key out of my back pocket while running with Lucy, hoping that nobody would see us enter this surprising room, and I put the key in the lock while turning it to open up the door. When Lucy saw where she would now be living, the fascinated look on her face was more than enough to satisfy me.

Even though it was a simple hotel room, the blue bed was for two people, the blue dresser had six drawers, the bureau had eight drawers, there was a blue bookcase stocked with books on magic, a blue antique clock, a large blue table, a blue bench, and a blue chair. I had stocked the blue wardrobe with clothes that I knew she'd like, based on her cool style, and there was a flat-screen television on the dresser that was across from the bed.

Her hotel room also came with a kitchen, fully stocked with cooking utensils by me, and the fridge was stocked with all sorts of delicious food from Restaurant Le Wow. If she ever wanted more, the restaurant was located on Hibernal Avenue. Her kitchen also had a cool green pantry, a green stove, and a green oven for more. The carpet was emerald green like grass, and the walls were blue like the sea. There was also a bathroom, but she could fill that up.

"Sting, these clothes are gorgeous! They are the best in fashion right now! Now that lady at Boutique Couture will have to let me shop there! I still can't believe that she said I wasn't stylish enough." Lucy told me while looking at the black and white cheerleader outfit that I had bought for her, giggling excitedly while hugging me for spending so much on her.

"You're pretty stylish to me, Lucy." I nicely told her while we looked into each other's eyes, sighing happily while enjoying her scent.

We kept gazing into each other's eyes, enjoying this great moment that we were sharing, and we were close to having another kiss. I leaned in a bit closer while closing my eyes, feeling some bliss that let me know Lucy was doing the same. Our lips slowly moved towards each other, but the growling of our stomachs interrupted the moment. Both of us blushed pink while giggling, and then decided eat our delicious hash browns, sausages, pancakes, eggs, and bacon from WcDonalds.

* * *

**How was the 15th chapter? The StiCy is still coming along, and I hope it's getting good. Lucy and Sting are getting to be a pretty good couple, right? Sorry if Fairy Tail hasn't had a major role yet, but they will be major when Natsu wants to avenge Lisanna's loss to Lucy's lookalike. Will Wendy finally discover something about Serena? Will things be hot on both plots? Standby for the next chapter! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

It had been a week since I had learned the Clone Technique, joined Sabertooth, and now lived at my new place in Hotel Richissime. I had been going on jobs with Sting, and they had paid really well even though my new rent was now 100,000 a month now. Sting had also informed me that the Grand Magic Games were only a few months away, and his training with me needed to increase to levels that couldn't possibly be matched.

We were currently in Sandy Desert, taking on a job that involved getting rid of some sandstorms that appeared to have been made by magic, and the reward for this job would be an Earth Stone. That would be perfect for me to be able to utilize Earth Magic, but there was one issue. Lightning Magic wouldn't exactly be useful in the desert, and my Fire Magic might make things way too hot.

While Sting kept himself fully clothed, obviously having handled this kind of heat before, I had to wear my favorite lacy orange bra and lacy orange panties because of the sun's rays making it too hot for me to wear my normal clothing. The sand was incredibly hot, and who in the world would really want to go traveling through a vast desert like this one?

"Sting, it's so hot out here. Please tell me that you can see the sand twisters nearby." I told him while wiping some sweat off my forehead and panting, trying not to let the hot sand irritate my feet.

"Unfortunately, our client is really stupid. I asked around in Sabertooth about this desert, and there haven't been sandstorms here in four days. Either we're being messed with, or the clients are starting to become major idiots." He responded calmly, taking my hand in his while we kept walking through the desert.

My violet eyes twinkled with some happiness from Sting caring enough to hold my hand, but the sunlight just kept shining down on me. I honestly thought I would get sunburned or get a heatstroke from the sun shining above us, and there was nothing out here in this desert. We had walked for miles now, and only the hot sand was here. I could use Water Magic to cool us down, but the sun might burn us to evaporate the water.

Speaking of burning hot, going to a place like this reminded me of Reversal Mountain in Unova. I had received the Fire Stone from Furea, but she had pitied me and looked down on me back then. One day, I would get back at her for that. I'm sure that her and I would battle again someday, and I refused to be looked down on by her again. Still, getting back to the job, something had to be out here.

I had heard about some ruins existing in this desert, but where could they be? The wind blew through my black hair, and I looked curious to see something up ahead. It looked like an oasis that was filled with sparkling water, and I couldn't help but cheer happily while running to it to take a good drink. That would certainly relieve me from the heat, right?

Releasing my hand from Sting's grip, I ran to the oasis of blue water for a few drinks, but my body decided to let me dive right in. I happily jumped into the air, my eyes twinkling with delight from seeing heaven in this hellish desert, and I was about to land in the water. However, for some reason, I hadn't even made a splash at all upon making contact with the water from such a high dive.

Instead, this water felt burning hot like the desert sand. Was my mind playing tricks on me by showing me a mirage? Well, that was a very cruel way of messing with my head. I screamed in pain from landing on the brown sand, jumping up and down with my feet burning hot, and my left foot had stepped on something round that felt like a switch.

Suddenly, the ground around me began to suddenly move like it was pulling me towards something. The sand constricted my legs, and I looked fearful when the sand in front of me began to fall apart to reveal a brown quicksand pit. I couldn't get away from the quicksand pulling me in, taking me deeper with each passing second, and even climbing was useless with the heat making the hot sand burn my hands.

"Sting, help me!" I called out to him while looking scared, not wanting to be buried so deep in the sand.

"Lucy, I'm coming!" He replied loudly, running quickly in an attempt reach me to try and pull me up. Sting reached the quicksand pit in only a matter of seconds while grabbing my hand, but the quicksand pit grew more violent while having more power to pull us both in. I lost my footing on the sand, falling in to the sucking point with Stin, and I thought we were done for.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Natsu's POV)**

Lisanna had been injured by a couple of jerks yesterday from Team Flare, the same people who sent me a flyer about coming to the Sandy Desert, and I was going to make them pay for what they had done to my girlfriend. The attacker looked like Lucy, but I doubt that it was a clone. That stupid bitch must've wanted payback on me for dumping her, but I was now fired up to burn her down.

Happy and I had taken this job with Wendy and Cana tagging along, but we had fallen into a quicksand whirlpool in the middle of the desert. Seriously, that was unnatural. Somebody must've been expecting us, or set that Sand Magic trap as a stupid prank. Their little joke made me and Happy end up falling on some sand below, and it looked like we had ended up in some ancient ruins. For some reason, even though we all fell in the quicksand, The girls must've ended up somewhere else. We had to find them. The other thing to do now was find this Furea chick or the prankster with the Sand Magic, since I was in the mood for a good fight.

We were currently in an entrance that led to a hallway, two separate paths, but which one could we take? The left path or the right path? I looked annoyed at the fact that I couldn't detect Wendy's scent, so she wasn't near us at all. Damn it, where did she and Cana go? Some strange writing on the wall caught my attention, but I couldn't read those letters at all.

"Natsu, don't worry! Levy taught me how to read this! It's in a language called Unown, and it might give us a clue about these ruins!" Happy told me with a smile on his face, flying to the to of my head for a closer look at the letters.

"All right, so what does it say?" I asked nicely while nearly getting sick at the sight of the hardly understandable letters, hoping it would lead us to Furea, the prankster, or Wendy.

"_The secrets of the ruins and the stones lies down below. The eight stones shine for us in their radiance, giving us their elements that we left to the gods since their power is too dangerous for us... To the left, the first wall awaits. He who is smart shall not watch his feet or get hungry..." _Happy read to me, even though I hardly understood that cryptic message.

Who in the world would watch their feet when they arrive at a wall? These people must've been real clueless like Lucy, and even she had more sense than them. As for those stupid stones, who could really care about them? I certainly could care less, only wanting to find this Furea chick, so me and Happy made a left like the wall instructed us to. What was there, anyway?

As we headed straight left and quickly made a right turn, I slammed into the wall. These ancient ruin walls really hurt, and there was nothing here. All that Happy and I found was a dead end, and I noticed that the torches here were already lit. What awesome luck! I was in the mood for a snack, and I inhaled the flames from both torches on the wall in front of us. Those flames were delicious.

Suddenly, I could hear something that sounded like it was coming from underneath us. However, Happy and the message said for me to not watch my feet. It was probably just some giant demon getting hungry or something, and it must've roared loud enough to make the ground have cracks in it. Wait a minute, cracks? I looked utterly shocked at the sight of the ground cracking beneath my feet, sending me to a lower floor in the ruins while I screamed.

"Natsu, I'll come save you! The message actually mentioned something about stairs on the other side, and I think the last part told me to not eliminate the flames from the torches!" Happy kindly shouted down to me, grabbing me by my black waistcoat, as we both looked down to see rubble on the floor like someone drilled their way into the ruins.

"Now you tell me, Happy?!" I yelled while we were lowered down to this floor, looking irritated at the fact that we still couldn't find Wendy or Cana.

* * *

**In a different area of the ruins... (Lucy's POV)**

Sting and I had ended up falling down from the quicksand, and we landed on a bridge of ruins that appeared to be over an underground river. Looking behind me, I noticed that part of the bridge had been obliterated, leaving us only on this half while we could easily reach the cave nearby where a strange golden light could be seen. What in the world were these ruins, anyway?

We ran across the stone bridge quickly, wondering where in the world we had even fallen to, and could that cave be the way out of here? I wondered how far we had fallen from above, not seeing much light above us, only large amounts of sand dripping everywhere. Did these ruins have some kind of mysterious treasure? If so, was it that golden light emanating from the cave's mouth?

That definitely had to be treasure, since nothing else could have such a beautiful glow of golden greatness, and I ran into the cave with haste and hope that Sting and I could easily become millionaires by selling all of the treasure for an endless amount of jewels. The great future was only mere steps away, and I could hear voices. They sounded a bit familiar, but we could beat some other treasure hunters for sure.

As I entered the room with Sting following behind me, I stopped in my tracks while looking like I was seeing a pair of ghosts. The golden treasure chest was on a round pedestal in the center of the room, but the two people I saw were Wendy and Cana from Fairy Tail. What in the world were they doing here? Were they after the treasure, too?

"Hey, Lucy. What's wrong?" Sting curiously asked, wanting to know why I had stopped in my tracks.

At that moment, Cana and Wendy both gasped in shock while noticing my presence. My body began to tremble in fear, unable to move, and I couldn't say a single thing. I felt like running away right now, but I didn't want to look bad in front of Sting. Would Cana and Wendy snitch to Team Natsu that I was here? Were they turned against me now, and could I even trust them?

Cana certainly looked surprised at my new appearance, and Wendy smiled happily a bit while running to give me a hug. Had she seen through my lie back in Azure Town, now wanting confirmation for her suspicions to be true? I felt so cold right now, not knowing what to say since Sting just had to reveal my secret to people from Fairy Tail. They probably hated me, too.

"Lucy-san, it really is you! I've been so worried about you, but you're also the Serena Fennekin that Erza-san had wanted to capture for the chance to get the elemental stones! I'm so happy to see you!" Wendy told me while happily smiling, continuing to hug me.

Cana gave me a nice smile as well, knowing we became good friends ever since I helped her with the S-Class trial on Tenrou Island, and I guess that at least two people were happy to see me. They didn't seem to be searching for the treasure right now, and Cana had calmly explained to me how they lost Natsu and Happy when the quicksand brought them down into the ruins.

"Don't worry, Lucy. We won't tell anyone in Fairy Tail that you're Serena, or that we even saw you here. Still, I hope you know that Erza's not very stupid. She sent Gray out near Lumiose to search for you, not knowing you're Serena, and he came back in fear of some dude who could manipulate plants. I suggest you stay on guard because Mira can transform into strange creatures, too. She even owns the eight evolutions of Eevee, too." She told me nicely while pulling me aside for some girl talk, her purple looking at my orange bikini while smirking.

"So... That's Sting Eucliffe from Sabertooth, right? Have you two hooked up, or do you have another good guy to impress with your new look?" She asked me while smiling and playfully poking my left breast, causing me to blush deep red from remembering what Sting and I had done in the hot springs.

"Um... Well, Sting and I are getting closer. We took a bath together in the hot springs... and we... kissed." I managed to tell her while I kept blushing, turning around as I twiddled my thumbs.

Speaking of Sting, he did the most awesome thing ever while were all in that room. He simply did a few backflips while running, easily reaching the golden treasure chest, and he lifted it up while looking triumphant. Seeing his charming eyes with his confident smile had always gotten me feeling hot, especially when he would look at me. Fan girls of his would sometimes interrupt us on jobs, but I was his biggest fan girl ever.

Suddenly, all of the stones in my orange bra began to emit radiant glows in their respective colors while I had taken them out to see what was going on. I curiously looked at them, wondering if they were creating new spells, and six puffs of white smoke appeared. Six clones of me appeared, wearing bikinis in red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink while smiling happily at Sting.

They blushed a light shade of pink while running towards him, the one in a red bikini jumping into the air while she tackled Sting down with a lustful facial expression. I looked utterly astounded at the sight of my clones kneeling around Sting while caressing his body, really wondering if these stones were reacting to my love for Sting. Wendy and Cana even giggled, causing me to look a bit embarrassed.

"We just found that treasure, Sting, but you look better than treasure to me right now. I get so hot around a sexy guy like you, and I just want us to share a good kiss right now before we can go to sleep... naked." My clone in a red bikini told him while simply having flirtatiousness in her violet eyes, giving him a soft kiss to the lips while her hands were undoing her lacy red bra.

Sting told me while he began to blush as well, caressing my sexy clone's left breast while she blushed cherry pink at the feeling of his fingers brushing against her nipple while giggling softly, "Wow, Lucy. I never knew you had such a lustful side for me, and you must do this with me in your fantasies. I like it a lot."

My clones wearing green and blue bikinis began to kiss Sting's cheeks while calling him their master, letting their soft hands massage his face, causing me to blush even more. These may have been my twisted fantasies, but did the stones really have to make them come to life like that? My other clones in the yellow and purple bikinis began to strip bare for Sting, seductively smirking as well.

"Do you like what you're seeing, my lovely Sting? I hope my nice rear gets kissed and rubbed by you for days on end, and I'd even purposely spill ice cream between my breasts for you to lick it up." The clone in a purple bikini told him happily, laying on her side while having her rear near the front of Sting's pants as she gave me a flirty smirk.

My other clone in a pink bikini had taken off Sting's left shoe to massage his foot, and all of their sexy acts were making me blush intensely. I nearly felt like fainting, so I dispelled all my clones before they could escalate this any further. I didn't want to move that fast with Sting, and I certainly didn't want him knowing my wildest dreams. Unfortunately, the stones certainly did. After Sting put his shoe back on, the mysterious psychic power of something in the ruins teleported us all back to the desert's entrance with the treasure chest.

Wendy told me with a happy smile on her face, remembering something important while pulling it out of her yellow purse, "Lucy-san, I almost forgot! Cana and I found it on the ground when the quicksand sent us into that treasure room! Since the bridge was broken, we had just stayed there. A small pink creature floated around and played with me for a few minutes, but then it teleported away. I think it also warped us back here. Since it sounded like a cat, I'll call it Mew."

The young blue-haired mage had handed me an orange Earth Stone, necessary for me to learn Earth Magic, and I could only smile at the fact that I now had two people in Fairy Tail who wouldn't hunt me down. What was so wrong with me, anyway? Did Erza know about my father, my mother, or my ancestors to really want to try and eliminate me? If it was because of my history, what could be so bad?

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Happy's POV)**

Natsu and I had reached another hallway in the ruins, still trying to find Cana and Wendy, but we had run into someone else instead. She was a pale-skinned woman with long red hair like Erza, but she really looked vicious toward us like we had intruded on her business. She was wielding an orange elemental stone, and the fact that we were here seemed to be a problem for her.

"Well, well. I look for the treasure, and I find a mage and his cat roaming around here. Only one of us can have the treasure, so let's see what you've got. The name's Furea, and you must be trash." She told us in a harsh tone, the orange stone glowing in her left hand.

"Hey, I'm not trash! Don't call me that, you rude bitch!" Natsu angrily exclaimed, offended by what she just said.

He unleashed his Fire Dragon's Roar at her, but she stopped his attack by making large rocks rise up from the ground before they turned into sand. His flames had been stopped, but that sand swirled around her body. This lady was bad news, reminding me of when Silver from Tartarus had frozen Natsu solid with his ice. Why was I getting such a bad feeling?

"Simultaneous Sand Smash." She calmly said while sternly looking at us, the sand around her beginning to turn into many large fists that slammed against Natsu with extreme force.

That wasn't normal sand at all, and those fists were pounding away at Natsu so mercilessly. I looked pretty freaked out to see one of those twenty sand fists turn into a copious amount of small needles, especially since they followed me through that hallway while creating orange blasts of energy after a few seconds. I collided with Natsu, and the remaining sand needles suddenly turned into a mouth-shaped attack.

"Seriously?! You won't show mercy?!" I asked the woman named Furea while panicking at the sight of that sand mouth coming at us with sharp teeth.

"Team Flare shows no mercy to weaklings, and you guys make that Serena girl look like a challenge. Sand Supper won't end you, but this will." She replied coldly, canceling out her spell to let me and Natsu breathe sighs of relief for a moment.

However, we were far from safe. She used a move known as Sand Origin, and it caused the ruins to shake like there was an earthquake occurring above us. The walls began to break apart, turning into sand, and every drop of it just kept exploding while slamming us everywhere with intense pressure. We were going to die here, especially since the sand brutally grabbed our arms to restrict our movements.

In a moment, before having my eyes closed with fear, I heard something go "Mew" while a pink cat floated by and teleported us all out of the ruins. I decided to fly back to Fairy Tail with Natsu, since we were brought back to the desert's entrance and saw that Wendy and Cana were waiting for us while calmly smiling, and we were no match for that woman Furea. She was in a whole different league, and I am now afraid of sand...

* * *

**How was the 16th chapter? For those of you wondering why Team Natsu was hunting Lucy, that will be explained in the following chapter. The StiCy is getting good, but what shall happen when Lucy and Sting must find that last stone at night? Will Sabertooth be partying, by Sting's orders? Will the nightly rogues of Sabertooth tell Lucy an important story? When are the Grand Magic Games? Standby for the next update!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

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**Lucy's POV**

Sting and I had decided to throw a party tonight in the guild to officially welcome me into Sabertooth, and we had already informed Master Jiemma and Minerva about it. Of course, she had scowled at me when remembering that our match ended in a draw. When she had told Sting that I got that tie with her by dumb luck, I nearly lunged at her to test out the Earth Stone's spells.

However, Sting had restrained me while carrying me out of the office and into the elevator for us to reach the ground floor. Despite the fact that we were having a party, Sting had made my violet eyes twinkle with joy when he pulled a flyer out of the left pocket of his blue vest, having snuck a job from the request board when I wasn't looking, and this job was going to reward me with the Shadow Stone.

This job would take place in our very own town of Lumiose, but this flyer was strange like the one Electra from Team Flare had sent to me when she wanted me to eliminate Juvia for her. This flyer had no name for the client, and it was pretty spooky that it had just been addressed to me again. Was Team Flare really wanting my services, or was I just doing their dirty work?

We were currently at a bakery that resembled Bar Sun from the town of Crocus, and Sting needed to pick up the pies for the party. We had already gotten everything else that was necessary for a party, since we had decided to concurrently do the job, and now all we needed was the delicious pies to compliment the cakes and cookies at the dessert table in the guild.

"Hey, Serena Fennekin." An unfamiliar feminine voice said calmly from behind, startling me a bit.

Turning around slowly, my violet eyes caught the sight of a girl with long black hair and red eyes sitting at a table with Rogue. She had pale skin like he did, wore a black bikini top, and she also wore a pair of black Capri pants. Her high heels were red like her eyes, and she had motioned with her left index finger for me and Sting to join her and Rogue at the round table for something. Many of the other customers curiously looked at me for a moment, particularly a blonde woman wearing a red T-shirt, a pink miniskirt, and blue flat shoes while she had a neck-length bob cut hairstyle as well.

"Um... Hi. I assume you know me through Rogue." I told the woman with a soft smile on my face, being polite while trying not see the other customers. Seriously, was this an ordinary bakery?

"I am his older sister, Vivian Cheney. Welcome to the Sweet Tales Bakery of Estival Avenue. Here, we all listen to each other's intriguing tales. We also share valuable information that you might need. My brother tells me you seek to find the eight elemental stones for power, too. Well, I actually know the story behind the stones. I'll share it with you, for 5,000 jewels." She kindly explained to me, looking somewhat mysterious.

Reaching into the left pocket of my blue jeans, I handed her 5,000 jewels to hear the tale about the stones. It would be nice to know a bit more about them, and I really liked to know the history about things. The stones had always intrigued me ever since I bought the Dawn Stone from that old woman on Vernal Avenue, even though she wouldn't tell me about them. Now I could finally get some vital information.

"All right, then. The stones that you use are actually fragments of what used to be larger stones in the ancient town that Lumiose is built over. Many decades ago, around Zeref's time, a dark queen had created the stones for her own power. They were made from eight sacred energies that she had taken from demons that she slayed with her Fairy Magic, and the queen wanted the stones for herself. She had used the sacred stones to make tragedy befall the entire world, but there was one thing keeping her and her power in check. The Light Stone." Vivian calmly told me, her red eyes widening when she mentioned the Light Stone.

Sting asked curiously while looking puzzled by her words, "How does a rock control other rocks?"

"This was no ordinary stone, child. The Light Stone was the key to keeping all magic from getting out of control, and it was said to have been created by a woman who opposed the queen's abusive ways of punishing everyone who she saw as trash. The Light Stone had absorbed all of the energy from the other stones, rendering their elements useless, before they all broke apart into fragments and destroyed the queen with the hero's wish of Fairy Glitter. The Light Stones answered the hero's wish before they shattered into dust, killing the queen's physical body." She continued on, making me look very interested now.

"What do you mean by destroying her physical body? She wasn't entirely annihilated?" I nicely asked, hoping to learn more.

"Light creates shadows, correct? The queen had been struck in the heart by Fairy Glitter, effectively killing her, but she used her last seconds of life to send her spirit into a nearby Shadow Stone. Legend has it that her spirit exists in the fragments of the original Shadow Stone, and her power has been growing for the past 106 years. Every helpful thing near a stone, such as daylight with a Dawn Stone, shall get it stronger every single day. The stones can even unlock power for their masters, but only when they truly believe they possess it." Vivian explained further, telling me how the stone's react to a person's heart and soul.

Sting confidently told me, also sitting next to me, "Well, let's get that last stone. If the queen is dead, she has no more power. It won't hurt to use that element."

"That's not exactly a smart idea. The Shadow Stone is filled with dark power, and it must never be used. In the wrong hands, you'd be no better than the queen herself. That kind of magical power can eliminate an entire continent if it's wrongly used, and the joining of all eight stones would merge the dimensions while eradicating time itself. I'm Shirley Glazy, by the way. Do not take Vivian's words lightly, since even someone as intelligent as her cannot pinpoint the location of Joyous Tower." The blonde woman interrupted nicely while sipping her coffee, knowing something about the stones.

I had no clue what Joyous Tower was, but Vivian's story was kind of interesting. I smiled a bit while thanking her for telling the tale, Rogue and Sting getting up as well, and we all decided to head back to Sabertooth for our party to really begin. I honestly took that story into consideration, thinking that the 8th stone really could be deadly, but the strange job request overshadowed that in my mind. Who would mysteriously send me a flyer, conveniently offering the last stone I needed?

That was way too freaky, but I knew that Sting wanted to do this job. While he was carrying the pies, the moonlight shined on the flyer to let me see the job description. The client just told us to wait at the Sabertooth guild for them to show up, but would it be Team Flare again? Would they be wanting to target me for that last stone, hoping I'd get it?

After we had made it back to Sabertooth quickly from Estival Avenue, we arrived just in time to see Jiemma standing behind the reception desk and we made their way to one of the tables where Minerva, Rogue, Rufus, Orga, Frosch, Froakie, and Lector were sitting. After everyone sat down, Jiemma cleared his throat and began to speak. What would his announcement be?

"Due to those mysterious people from Team Flare causing trouble in many parts of Fiore with no leads to their hideout, the sponsors of the Grand Magic Games have informed all guild masters to let their mages know that the Grand Magic Games will not be happening three months from now. The date has been set to be 21 days from today, March 28th, giving you three weeks to train. Based on reports I've received from clients, six of you are certainly doing quite well. Even one that I didn't expect to rise up so quickly. Don't fail Sabertooth, or don't come back here." Jiemma sternly told everyone with a fierce look in his eyes while he folded his arms and walked towards the right elevator to presumably go to his office.

I looked somewhat nervous, realizing that I was still Sabertooth's newbie, and my hands trembled a little. I wanted to be there with Sting, and I had promised him that I would stop crying and I had kept my vow to become stronger and never be a burden ever again. Not only that, but Minerva was my rival now. If she could do well, then I told myself that I could do just as good.

* * *

**Sting's POV**

That announcement was certainly a big surprise, meaning that Lucy and I had to majorly speed up our training together. I had known something about the stones, not even caring about Vivian's stupid story, but this was something special that Lucy would love for sure. She could create new spells, combination spells and elemental fusion spells. The second one was more difficult to master, and we'd have to use the Earth Stone as a demonstration.

Minerva told Lucy a.k.a. Serena in a condescending tone while sitting across from her, laughing a bit, "It looks like we'll all be headed to the Grand Magic Games, Serena, but you'll be watching from the spectator seats. After all, you're still a newbie and you nearly lost to me. You're still pretty pathetic, just like your pitiful stones that you rely on. Basically, you're useless."

Lucy shot back while looking annoyed at Minerva's words, slamming her hands down on the table, "Quit thinking of me as mediocre, Minerva! I bond well with each of my stones, and I did great in that battle we had! Stop acting like I'm so weak, ok?! I can do just as good as anybody in here, and nobody is going to surpass me! I've gotten good, and I even learned Clone Magic!"

"If clones of you are succeeding on jobs, you have really dumb luck. I'm still surprised that a loser like you even reached Lumiose, a place for only the elite and high-class. Having a tie with me will still make me not see you as worthy, since all you are is inferior to me. Go back to the hick town you came from, disgusting garbage mage." Minerva retorted, grinning evilly while folding her arms with the belief that her words were correct.

Lucy exclaimed angrily for everyone in the lobby to hear, obviously steamed by Minerva's words, "What did you just say to me, you bitch?! You really want to get on my bad side?! I'll beat your ass down right now!"

Minerva responded calmly, slamming her left hand against Serena's mouth while looking directly in her eyes, "You'll never be a match for me, you slutty little dog."

At that point, me and Rufus decided to intervene and respectively restrain Serena and Minerva from attacking each other and causing a scene. I took Lucy away to the dessert table, wanting to give her some delicious cookies, and I also wanted her to keep her cool around Minerva. I knew she could really verbally abuse people, but I had never seen anyone retaliate like that against Minerva before.

"That was totally awesome of you to stand up for yourself like that, and don't let Minerva's taunts get to you. She wants you to do good for the guild, in her own vicious way, so that's why she's tough on you. Don't fret about it because you're going to unleash combo spells from those stones soon enough." I told her nicely while stuffing a chewy peanut butter cookie into her mouth, grinning a bit.

"You mean like fusing spells together? That's awesome! Teach me, Sting!" She happily replied while chewing, taking three more cookies into her hands while the eagerness to learn could be seen in her violet eyes.

"First, you have to remember that you create the fusions. Fusion spells have much more power and accuracy in their moves, and you can fuse two or three moves together to create completely new spells. You can also activate really cool upgraded fusions with two elements, but that requires much more concentration in your moves. Speaking of Earth Magic, it revolves around strength. Focus on that, and you'll make it work." I explained kindly, enjoying the pink blush filling her cheeks while she took mental notes on everything I was saying.

Seeing Lucy blush while she could memorize my words was so cool, and she always did great on every job we had done together. Her smile looked so sweet when she swallowed her food, and her level of power really was ascending to new levels. We didn't even care about the Shadow Stone at this point, totally lost in the moment, and I really imagined us going on a pretty great date with no interruptions.

With her smiling happily like this, I wanted to make her night even better for her. Closing my eyes for a second, I leaned in to kiss her lips for our feeling of bliss. I could tell that she was leaning as well from hearing her happily sigh, my heart palpitating a bit. We'd actually have another official kiss, and I totally wanted us to really be boyfriend and girlfriend.

* * *

Unfortunately, we suddenly became interrupted by familiar red flames obliterating Sabertooth's entrance doors. I dodged to the left with Lucy, as a fireball came our way, and we saw Natsu angrily glaring at us with his team from Fairy Tail. I didn't tell them about the party, nor were they even invited, so why was he here with Gray and Erza? They looked miffed as well, but why?

"You're that Serena chick, aren't you?! You must be the one who got Lucy to attack Lisanna, trying to cover your trail of collecting stones! Well, your little friend Furea wasn't so nice to me and Happy yesterday! I'll tear you to pieces!" Natsu angrily yelled at Serena, flames engulfing his fists while he was breathing heavily.

"Who in the world is Lucy?" She flat out asked with that lie, obviously mad to see Natsu again, and I couldn't blame her for looking so harsh right now.

Her question only caused Natsu to run towards her at fast speeds, but she pulled out the Earth Stone and watched it shine with an orange glow. Lucy quickly used a spell known as Earth Drill, turning her left hand into a giant drill of rock, and we both looked surprised to see Natsu's punches be even with the spinning drill. However, he did wince in pain from feeling the slicing rotation of the drill causing recoil to his fists.

I watched her quickly leap back, canceling out that spell for her hand to return to normal, and her second spell was known as Rock Tomb. This spell made brown boulders of earth rise up from the ground in front of her, but Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar broke through the three barriers with ease. However, Lucy didn't waver in the slightest. The boulders could be manipulated by her mind, as she made ten more barriers with Rock Tomb, and the rocks began to be sent flying towards Natsu.

When they collided with him, many orange blasts of energy occurred with the force being enough to shake the guild a little bit. Their power was really looking cool, and Lucy wasn't letting up at all. She watched him stand up while the orange smoke cleared up, and she jumped into the air before using her third spell that was known as Spiraling Sand. I could see her body being surrounded by an orange aura, her hands looking like they gained much more strength and hardness for damaging punches, and her orange T-shirt and black miniskirt gave her the appearance of an orange and black drill when she began spinning in midair.

She definitely caught Natsu off guard, since he looked completely surprised at the sight of her hitting him straight in the chest with extreme force, but we were all shocked to see Lucy's body break apart like she was a shell. Sand came spilling out, forming a small twister, and it began to spiral around in the air. Lucy came out of the twister completely unscathed, making me smile at her skills. That was a good offensive and defensive move in one, I had to admit.

"Stop right there, you flaming idiot!" That ice guy said with a look of realization on his face, surprising everyone who was watching the battle right now.

"Why are you getting in the way of this battle, Gray Fullbuster?" Lucy fiercely asked, clearly annoyed and prepared to use more attacks if necessary.

"Natsu, that level of control with magic is not normal! If that was only her third spell, who knows how many more she has? Let's leave, and you can get a fight from somewhere else! Sting's not even fighting you, so let's leave." He told Natsu in a stern tone, knowing they couldn't fight Lucy a.k.a. Serena head on like this.

Before Natsu could even respond, Lucy's fists were engulfed in that orange aura of Earth Magic. She did a few backflips into the air, before coming down on Natsu with a powerful move known as Close Combat. She repeatedly kicked and punched him at fast speeds with such great power, surprising me that she could learn that move. Her physical strength had really shot up by a lot, especially since her clones were currently doing solo jobs in the faraway lands of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.

It was pretty incredible to see the person I looked up to now be down on the ground with black eyes, a bleeding nose, and bruises all over. Then again, Lucy totally caught him off guard with Close Combat. Gray tried to fire some ice shards at her from his hands, only to see Lucy smirk cleverly while unleashing brown blobs of mud from her mouth. The blobs and shards made a small smokescreen occur upon the collision, really surprising everyone. Even Minerva was amazed right now.

"I see why the rumors say that she's a real force to be reckoned with, and even I'm probably no match for those unorthodox moves. Let's go, Gray. We still have to find Lucy, since her ancient ancestor brought ruin to the world. She could very well be a reincarnation of that witch." Erza told Gray in a stern tone, dragging Natsu by his scarf behind her while they walked away.

Since Erza had the nerve to say that Lucy could be an evil witch, I wasn't shocked to see her retort with the sixth spell. It was known as Mud Ball, and it created a ball of mud in her hands. This spell, as she later told me, had the power to turn metal into mud. She had perfect aim at Erza's Flame Sword, Titania currently being in her Flame Empress Armor, and Erza looked pretty surprised to see the Mud Ball beginning to cover her sword while making it slowly melt and drip the ground with the appearance of brown mud.

That spell could probably only be really useful against a guy like Gajeel, but Lucy's final move gave us all quite a scare. She sprang up high into the air, only mere inches from hitting the ceiling, and she came down with extreme force in her feet. Lucy created quite an earthquake, making me name it Earthquake for her, but she had concentrated its power of damaging Team Natsu. The ground exploded from underneath them, the seismic waves only inflicting power on where they were standing, really surprising us all.

Natsu shouted angrily while looking down at us, "You haven't seen the last of us yet, Sting! Don't give me that stupid smirk, you bastard! Thanks to your girlfriend, my team is blasting off into the sky!"

* * *

Turning away from the explosions that shortly occurred afterward as aftershocks, I applauded Lucy like a true boyfriend and raised her right arm into the air to show everyone how victorious she was. Minerva enviously sneered, as I expected she would, but Rufus and Orga were assisting everyone else in joining the applause and cheers for Lucy a.k.a. Serena.

She really was getting tough, and I noticed that Natsu had dropped a black stone that shined with an onyx black radiance. Wait, had he made that job just to come and fight her? If that was the case, he really messed with the wrong girl. My blue eyes turned around for a moment to see Master Jiemma smirking at the sight of everything that he had seen, especially since Lucy probably got payback for him for when Natsu invaded Sabertooth's lodging's at last year's Grand Magic Games.

"Hmmm... With that kind of power in our ranks, Fairy Tail won't stand a chance when the Grand Magic Games come around. Serena, I'm also impressed with your recent capture of the legendary Mewtwo in a place known as Cerulean Cave." He told her with a proud smile on his face, before telling the rest of us to do the same.

I highly doubt Lucy and I can really get to see legendary creatures like that, unless we were really lucky. She giggled a bit while smiling at the master's words, even though he never gave praise to a great guy like me, and I could tell that Lucy would keep improving. The Grand Magic Games were only three weeks away, and I hope that Sabertooth's win would make our relationship keep getting better with every loving thing we did. At this point, all we could do now was enjoy the party.

* * *

**How was the 17th chapter? Lucy and Sting now know the history of the stones, but that's just for foreshadowing. The StiCy will finally reach a great point in the next chapter, so stick around! Will Lucy and Rogue get to battle as a test of the Shadow Stone? Who will officially be chosen for the Grand Magic Games? Will Juvia awaken with important memories? Will Mira's rival have a big mouth when she comes to brag about a photo shoot? Standby for the update!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

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**Lucy's POV**

Now having the Shadow Stone in my possession, I could only look curious about the type of magic that it would give to me. The Grand Magic Games were currently three weeks away, with Master Jiemma having selected me to participate with Sabertooth's other strongest five members to make a team of six, and I had to master the powers of the black elemental stone. What abilities would it have, though? Vivian had warned me and Sting about this stone having the spirit of a dark queen inside of it, but I didn't really think I could trigger something like that since the stone didn't work with summoning things to fight for me.

Sting, Rogue, and I were currently training in Black Swamp, a place known for its black fog, black-leafed pine trees and dead trees, and the marshy mud surrounding the circular lake of white swamp water. I really felt scared at the thought of coming here, but we'd only be testing out the spells. Plus, the swamp was near Lumiose Town so we weren't exactly in a far-off land.

I had gotten my Sabertooth guild mark in green on the right side of my waist, since it fit the fact that my rival Minerva had her guild mark on the left side of her waist, and Sting was going to take me on a great date when the training was done. I wore a black T-shirt, a white miniskirt, and some grey flat shoes to fit the scenery of Black Swamp, but what would come from the black stone?

"All right, Lucy. I'll be your opponent, since you're using the Shadow Stone. If it gives you the powers of shadows, there will be no problem since you'll have learned how to be like a shadow. Being a gentleman, you may make the first move." Rogue calmly told me, standing across from me with an emotionless facial expression.

"That's fine with me, Rogue! Let's see what the Shadow Stone can do when I make it use Black Vortex!" I replied with confidence in my violet eyes, smiling proudly while hoping I could bond with this type of magic as well.

However, much to the shock of us both, nothing happened whatsoever. Froakie had even looked down from atop my pink hat to see if my shadow was still there, which it was, and I couldn't understand why the spell didn't work. It was supposed to make all the shadows in the area turn into multiple vortexes that would create black blasts of energy when they hit something, so why didn't the spell come out?

Sting told me with a nice smile on his face while standing to the side near a tree with Lector and Frosch, "Don't worry about one little mess-up, Lucy! Maybe the stone would have to charge up attacks that seem big, so try something that's smaller but still packs a punch!"

My next spell was going to be Shadow Charge, an offensive spell that took all darkness and formed a sphere of energy with it. The shadows could pull their targets inward toward the sphere by making random flashes of blinding white light, and the sphere would massively explode when the opponent made contact with it. I fiercely yelled out the spell, directing my emotions at Rogue, but the same result occurred. Nothing happened, so what was going on?

This was so weird, to be honest. Why wasn't the stone working? Last night, it radiated with a glow like the other stones. Was there something missing to really make it work? The Dawn Stone worked during the day, the Dusk Stone was useful at night, and the others were also conditional. What did the Shadow Stone want me to do, and where did it want its powers to be unleashed?

I even tried to make the next attack be known as Shadow Curve, which would've caused me to fired a beam of black from my hand while it moved in an irregular manner at high speeds to confuse foes. However, that spell ultimately refused to come out as well. What was up with the stone, denying three spells in a row? I looked frustrated, knowing I had to bond with it, and I doubted that the stone understood my feelings at all.

"Guys, what if I really am a mediocre failure like Minerva thinks I am? What if I can't get the stone to work?" I asked Sting and Rogue, falling to my knees and looking depressed at the fact that this stone wasn't working for me.

Sting responded in an encouraging manner, taking my left hand in his while helping me stand up, "Don't get so negative over a few defective spells, Lucy. You just got the Shadow Stone, and maybe its magic just needs more time to bond with you. There's no reason to have doubt in your head, since we were only testing the stone. This wasn't a major battle, and it was just an off-tempo morning for you."

I smiled softly at the fact that Sting could be so helpful with cheering me up when necessary, and he was right. I had to stay positive, even if the Shadow Stone was currently being disobedient to me, and I would eventually find a way to activate its powers. Still, I had to drift away from my sad thoughts. Sting was headed back to Lumiose with Lector and Rogue, prompting me to follow them. After all, a relaxing date in the morning with Sting would definitely lift my spirits up.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail... (Juvia's POV)**

I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was now in Fairy Tail's infirmary, and I had felt like I had blacked out for months on end. What had happened while I was asleep? I raised my arms high above my head, noticing that they had been completely wrapped in bandages like the rest of my body, and I used my Water Body ability to slip out of them.

While I curiously looked around, seeing Elfman sitting in a chair next to a sleeping Lisanna in the bed across from mine, I truly had to wonder how long I had slept for. I hadn't really felt conscious for weeks, something seeming pretty freaky to me, and I really wanted to tell Gray-sama about it. He would probably know what to do, and he would probably know what nightmares felt like.

Ever since the day that Wendy and I did a job in the Chroma Highlands with those Murkrow and Honchkrow creating a black mist, I had felt this strange love of going out at night to enjoy the darkness. I had even remembered a night when Mable from the organization known as Team Flare had handcuffed me to the ceiling with magic-restricting handcuffs while we were in a lab of some kind.

The memories came back to me quickly, remembering how she made me swallow a strange black liquid from a beaker, and she had spoken of me being a great pawn for some kind of test. She had evilly smirked while using tweezers to pluck hairs from my head, and I could feel my magical power being extracted when the handcuffs let me loose for me to fall into some black liquid in a large tube.

Mable and her other female scientists had kept me there for five days, pulling me out only for something called a Luxray to viciously glare at me while using a move known as Thunder to wake me up. I screamed in pain while being pulled my hair, constantly referred to as an "experiment", and Luxray's electricity nearly fried my brain. I felt so weak against them, that black water draining all my power when I kept sinking back down into it, and it would even be made ice cold during the nights to keep me freezing.

After the first four days were over, I felt something in my mind really be born. It was pure hatred for everything, and I loved it. The smell of blood was comforting to me as well, and I felt like my heart was being controlled by something dark. I was unable to fight against back, and Mable even made me breathe in more of Honchkrow's black mist to try and turn me into a killing machine.

However, the Team Flare scientists sent me away from the lab building when they said how my powers were useless to them because they had found Water Stones and DNA from creatures known as Suicune, Manaphy, and Kyogre. Mable's Water Magic had seemed much more powerful than mine when I once saw her causing destruction in Humilau Town, knocking out a school of creatures known as Sharpedo, and extracting their dark power and Water Magic.

I shivered and looked terrified when I could remember myself having dark thoughts of being evil, like something malicious wanted to get out of me and take over, and I didn't like it. Tears ran down my face when I still heard Mable's evil laugh, and seeing a Murkrow perch itself on the window ledge had me running out of the infirmary to find Gray-sama in the guildhall for him to kill that thing.

I didn't even care about the fact that Levy McGarden had been next to the window with that thing, even though I overheard Gajeel asking her how it was feeling after she made Gajeel save it and defeat the Pansear that was supposed to be in Natsu's care when it got hotheaded and wildly tried to unleash a Flamethrower at the wild Murkrow for no reason. Even though it seemed to happily crow at Levy, that Murkrow would probably hate me.

* * *

**Back in Lumiose Town... (Lucy's POV)**

Sting and I had decided to have our date at a place called Café Soleil, a café located near the Bleu Plaza, and we had window seats at a blue pine table with the sunlight shining perfectly onto the table's center. The café's floor was light brown and dark brown in a checkered tile design, and the walls were blue with pictures of delicious blue treats. From seeing the portraits blueberry cheesecake, blueberry pancakes, and mint blue donuts as the cafe's three primary specialties, I didn't know what to eat first.

Aside from Vivian's story about the elemental stones, here's what else I managed to discover about them from some things that Sting told me. Apparently, using the stones worked in a similar manner to using Celestial Spirit Keys. However, unlike the keys only being Holder Magic that I had to call upon in every dangerous situation, the stones let me permanently have their power like it was Caster Magic.

Also, using more stones at one time required more power and more control. With my clones in faraway places, since they were instructed to use the other seven elemental stones, I was technically using seven stones at one time. However, the major drawback was that I couldn't wield the same stone as a clone during a fight. The power wouldn't respond, most likely the logic of the stones and Clone Magic, but my clones were making things better.

Even while I was sleeping, the images of the new spells they were acquiring had come into my dreams. I could have as many spells as my intelligence would allow for one stone, from what Sting told me about people who made spells, and I had to really imagine the spells in my mind for them to actually come to life. Also, I could unmake spells and remake them to be much more upgraded versions of themselves.

"I took the liberty of ordering blueberry cheesecake for us both, if you don't mind." Sting told me with a flirtatious smirk, as a waitress resembling Kagura Mikazuchi put two plates of delicious blueberry cheesecake on our table before walking away.

"Thank you, Sting. That is totally the sweetest thing you could ever do for me." I replied kindly, using the spoon to evenly divide my cake into eighths for it to be easier to eat.

As I ate the first slice of my cake, I blushed a light shade of pink while thinking about how Sting was so encouraging to me. He assured me that everything would be okay with the Shadow Stone, and he was such a great guy. I kept getting lost in his eyes every time we were alone together, and Sting always sent me into a world of joy. Sting was so much better than Natsu, especially with the fact that he didn't intrude into places where he had no business being.

He just had me feeling like I could always succeed on jobs, giving me such a fierce drive and courage when I needed it, and Sting's kisses always made me feel so relaxed. The hot spring was where we officially shared a kiss, and Sting really had wanted me. My feelings for him had grown by a lot since then, especially with that incident in the ruins involving my clones, and now I was a member of Sabertooth with him.

There was so much good chemistry between us, and I needed to establish that with him. If he had feelings for me, I didn't want to leave them hanging. Getting up for a moment while my blush was cherry red, not knowing what to say while my legs made me go to his side of the table, I twiddled my thumbs while looking into the blue eyes that made me feel so good.

"Yes, beautiful? What lovely words shall come out of your mouth this time?" He asked me while standing up from his seat, putting his warm hands on my cheeks, smiling while looking into my eyes to see how I felt.

"Sting, I'm in love with you. Please become my boyfriend. You light up my world, and all your confidence makes me want to be around you and your positive energy." I managed to utter, feeling so loved and serene by his warmth while I smiled happily.

From the corner of my right eye, I could see Rogue talking at a table with Frosch while Froakie ate most of the blueberry pancakes that Sting had bought for Lector. The group was distracted, so they wouldn't cheer like crazy if they saw me and Sting kissing. My heart palpitated with nervousness, not knowing what Sting's answer would be, and I probably looked like a blushing fool.

Instead, much to the joy of my heart, I felt Sting pull me closer to him while he pressed his lips against mine. It was such a warm kiss, a show of his affection for me, and I sighed happily while returning the kiss to him. My lips were touching his, taking in this amorous feeling we were sharing, and I kept enjoying the kiss for five more minutes. His lips tasted like blueberry cake and hot coffee, mine having the same taste since we ordered the same thing, and the taste was wonderful to me.

He told me in a kind tone, breaking the kiss while taking my left hand in his right hand, "Let's finish eating, Lucy. Then, we can go shopping for your favorite things."

Before I could respond, we both looked amazed to suddenly see the Shadow Stone emitting a beautiful black glow again while the window's sunlight had landed on it when I placed the stone in the table's center before I got up. Was the stone of darkness reacting to all that light coming down on it, and was it trying to tell me that it could only work with areas of major light? Is that why it failed to work in a dark place known as Black Swamp?

Now feeling optimistic and ready to really use the Shadow Stone when the time was right, Sting and I happily looked at each other before sitting down to finish our delicious breakfast. Whatever kind of magic was in the stone, I now felt confident that Sting and I would work together to try and understand it. The onyx black radiance faded away after a few seconds, most likely only having one or two spells at its disposal right now. One thing was for sure, though. My love with Sting was improving, and everything seemed to be looking up for us.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Mira's POV)**

Worrying about Lisanna wouldn't do any good, since that wind vortex had suspiciously hit her much harder than it had hit me, and I had to stay optimistic if I wanted for her to get better. She would be back on her feet soon, especially since all the jobs she went on with Team Natsu had made her improve, but I still kept wondering where the real Lucy could be.

She had been missing for weeks now, and no one in Ever Grande City had seen her when Laxus, Gray, and I went there earlier this morning. I was surprised to see that people used those strange creatures for battling in something called the Hoenn League, and that really reminded me of the Grand Magic Games coming up. Would we see Lucy there, and what guild would she be in?

As I cleaned a beer mug with a rag, I was surprised to hear Natsu bragging to the entire guild about how he fought Serena like a champ. He was saying how she wasn't that tough, but he sure came back here by crashing through the sky and he had to be majorly bandaged up for his injuries. Erza kept looking agitated over the loss of her Flame Sword, since it was now a sword of mud that fell apart so easily.

"Don't believe that idiot, Mira, or his stupidity will rub off on you like a disease." Gray told me while he sat on a nearby barstool, obviously ignoring Natsu's seeming heroic tale since he had crashed through the sky as well to know what had actually happened.

"Was Serena really that tough?" I asked with a kind smile, remembering when I transformed into a Vivillon just to spy on her while investigating the stones.

Gray replied calmly with a frown, clutching his left arm while one of her attacks must've put it in so much pain while he didn't notice Juvia taking a seat next to him, "Natsu wanted to fight with her, and we all got trounced by her Earth Magic. I swear, that girl can't be human. That Rock Tomb spell isn't exactly something common, and that level of control she had over her moves was unreal. Close Combat is a powerful move, and neither Laxus or Master knows how to do it.

Before our conversation could continue any further, my blue eyes caught the sight of Fairy Tail's entrance doors opening widely. Jenny Realight, the current Miss Fiore walked into the guild with a taunting smirk on her face. I still remember when she took off my bra in front of everyone in Ryuzetsu Land, exposing my breasts to everyone who was watching, and I wondered what she would do this time.

She looked cheerful today, almost like she wanted to rub something in my face, and I could definitely counter whatever she had in store for me. I was wearing my favorite maroon dress, so my breasts were safe from exposure. Jenny sat down on a barstool directly across from where I was standing, and we both tried to put on some fake smiles for people who passed by.

"What do you want, Jenny?" I harshly asked, ready to beat her down if she wanted to see Lisanna.

"Mira, you must be angry about my deluxe photo shoot in Sorcerer Magazine. 26 pages of me in bikinis, eating ice cream, and even taking a picture with Mars and Jupiter in my very own Team Galactic outfit to look like a true commander for whatever Cyrus had plotted to do with time and space all those years ago." Jenny calmly told me with a taunting grin while she ate a chocolate cake with red strawberry filling on its inside.

Seeing that expensive-looking cake nearly brought my mouth to drooling a bit, but I maintained my stern attitude around Jenny. She fought dirty, using cheap tricks to get whatever she wanted, and that kind of fighting style was majorly disliked by someone as honest as me. She was probably going to transform into a nude imitation of me and run through Magnolia, but I wouldn't let that happen.

"Where did you get that cake, Jenny? Why does it look so expensive?" I asked her while glaring down at the cake, quickly taking a slice with a nearby knife to see just how good it was.

"As the current Miss Fiore, the best fashion model, I can easily take the Excess Express to rich towns like Lumiose. Extravagant food is even served on the train, and there's a gift shop while the passengers also get to sleep in comfy beds while enjoying a great view. Too bad you'll never get to go there, Mira, since the train doesn't usually pass through Magnolia. It actually stopped here one night by accident, and I got to talk with Lucy." Jenny explained to me while giggling at her own taunts, eating the rest of the cake.

At that moment, my blue eyes widened in shock. Lucy had taken the Excess Express train to a rich town in Fiore? If so, that's where she was all this time? I seriously could not believe that Lucy had great luck to get on a train like that, but then I remembered how she wasn't in any of the nearby towns we searched at. Azure Town had been close to Lumiose, but was she really right there all this time? Had we ignored the obvious signs many times? Was Lucy really in a town like that?

"Jenny, where is Lumiose Town?! Tell me now!" I exclaimed loudly, prepared to use my strongest Satan Soul form to make her spit out that valuable information to me.

"It's not like the town's on most maps, and I don't know if she's there or went farther out! She seemed pretty depressed when I talked to her, so finding her might be a bad idea with the fact that I told her everything about Transformation Magic! She wanted to know how it works!" She responded while looking freaked out, transforming a giant shield into her hands to block any possible attacks I would make.

I wanted to hit Jenny for telling her about transforming, raising my fist into the air, but then I stopped myself when Jenny mentioned how Lucy looked pretty depressed. My mind went back to that night, remembering how Natsu cheated on Lucy with my sister, and going to find her just to bring her back to Fairy Tail would probably make me worse than Natsu in Lucy's eyes. There had to be some way to find her, and hopefully it would reveal itself before the Grand Magic Games.

* * *

**How was the 18th chapter? Sting and Lucy are finally boyfriend and girlfriend, but they won't use the Shadow Stone yet. Know why? Fusion spells are coming up in the Grand Magic Games, and they'll use those new powers when the time is right! Will there be changes in the Grand Magic Games, after the little time-skip? What's the preliminary round going to be like? Who unexpectedly enters this grand tournament? Standby for the next update! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

We had arrived in Crocus on the day of the preliminary round that would decide the eight teams that got to participate in the real competition tomorrow, and I had a happy smile on my face. Upon seeing the many flowerbeds and flower shops on a street that the we were all walking down on our way to the inn that was located in the Crocus Gardens, I ran over to a flower pot that had red roses growing in the soil. I sniffed them deeply to take in their wonderful aroma, letting out a blissful sigh from the sweet scent.

The six of us who had been chosen were Rufus, Orga, Minerva, Rogue, Sting, and me. I was thankfully getting so much recognition for being Serena Fennekin, and I was really glad that my clones did so many jobs for me in faraway lands for me to be known a great mage. Thanks to their success, I had received their intelligence, boosts in physical strength, more magical power, and a few new spells. I was definitely not going to let those three weeks of training be in vain, since I knew Fairy Tail would be participating.

Minerva told me in a rude tone with a deriding look on her face while scoffing once again and tapping me on my left shoulder, a sense of superiority in her green eyes, "I know it's your first time being on our team, Serena, but don't worry. If you make a total fool of yourself, I'll make up for your losses. After all, the crowd only cares for the people who aren't just filler participants."

"Don't be so quick to look down on me, Minerva! I watched the Grand Magic Games last year, and the tournament goes on for five days! When that final day comes around, you might change your opinion of me! If the survival tournament happens again, I'll defeat everyone else with little effort in order to use my majorly pulverizing moves on you!" I replied defensively, as I narrowed her violet eyes at Minerva and was close to using one of my lightning spells to remind her of what happened in our fight.

However, Sting stretched his arms out between us and reminded us that we were on the same team and we should focus our hatred off of each other and slam it down on the other teams. Besides, Sting also informed us that Fairy Tail didn't win the Grand Magic Games fairly on that 5th day. The fact that they had a strategy where they could easily find their opponents and have the odds in their favor seemed really suspicious. He wasn't going to let them win this year, after what Natsu had done to me back when I was in Fairy Tail.

I checked my appearance in the reflection of a glass window, and I smiled when I noticed that my light purple shirt and my short black miniskirt looked just as fashionable as my purple high heels. I was about to walk past Minerva and Sting, until I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist. I blushed slightly, feeling Sting's abdominals when he pulled me close to his chest and gently kissed my right cheek.

"This will be your first time participating for Sabertooth, right? Give it all that you've got, Lucy! I know that you're going to do your very best, and you know about fusion spells. We've trained so hard for this, and I have a few new moves of my own. We will totally win this year, and we'll definitely beat Fairy Tail! I bet you've got a few fancy fireworks to show off, so let's rock!" Sting explained in a calm tone while I turned around to face him, blushing while his blue eyes mesmerized me again.

Seeing that Minerva and the others were gone, since she obviously teleported to the inn with them to get away from the pacifistic and romantic situation, me and Sting both smiled and blushed a light shade of pink. Realizing that we were alone and looked like a happy couple, and since the preliminary round occurred in a few hours, what could be better to do in Fiore's capital than go sightseeing and eating at restaurants in Crocus?

Where should we go first, though? Everything looked pretty extravagant like in Lumiose, and the cafés in Crocus might be having pretty expensive prices with the Grand Magic Games taking place this week. The nearby stores and gift shops seemed to be full of cute things, too, and I certainly wanted to get some shopping done before the preliminary round transpired.

However, instead of shopping, I giggled upon hearing Sting's stomach growl loudly like mine simultaneously did. I smiled at him, taking his left hand in mine, and we decided to stop by a pizza place to start off our delightful tour of the city. I knew that Sting liked pepperoni pizza, and I liked cheese. Neither of us liked pineapples or olives on our pizza, and our similar tastes really made us get along.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Natsu's POV)**

The two teams representing the Fairy Tail guild had entered into Crocus, determined to make Fairy Tail win once again. I planned to win against anyone who wanted to fight me, and they were all going to go down hard. Team Fairy Tail A consisted of Erza, Gray, Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, and me while the other group, Team Fairy Tail B, consisted of Mira, Elfman, Wendy, Cana, Jellal, and Lisanna.

I had no problem competing against my girlfriend, since both of us would get strong during this tournament, and Lisanna was definitely more useful than Lucy. Her slashes in her Animal Soul: Tigress Take-Over were able to slice large blocks of iron in half, something that a weak bitch like Lucy could probably never do. She was probably eaten by wolves at this point, and the search for her didn't really matter anymore.

"I'm fired up, guys! Let's burn down the competition, and win this like we did last year! Sabertooth is going down again, and I'll make sure of it! Even if they weren't taking my request for a fight seriously, they had no right to blast us out of their guild like they did!" I exclaimed with a fierce look on my face, before laughing confidently and annoying Gray with my arrogance.

"That was their territory, you hotheaded idiot! I don't even think that Serena girl used ten percent of her power, so we nearly died because you wanted to fight her! Honestly, I'm sure Lucy would've kept you from nearly getting us all killed! She probably would've talked things out peacefully with Serena, instead of making us look bad!" Gray shouted at me in a scolding tone while using ice to chill his left shoulder because it still felt pain from Serena's explosive earthquake that sent us blasting off into the sky. We even saw a purple-haired man, a magenta-haired woman, and a talking white cat fly past us, but Gray just said it was a mirage spell or something.

I responded with a happy look on my face, after running over to Lisanna and sharing a great kiss with my girlfriend, "Gray, that useless piece of crap wouldn't be helpful to us at all. She must be dead somewhere, but all I care for is Lisanna. Lucy was trashy, anyway, and I really would laugh if she came out of a garbage can. I guess other towns couldn't throw out what we didn't want."

Wendy and Cana looked at me like I was a total jerk for saying how I felt about someone who was so unreliable, but what did want me to say about that dumb bitch? They act like I can't be honest with my emotions and thoughts, but I just say how I feel. Lisanna's the only real woman for me, and she's so good at being lovable. Her food is wonderful, and her angelic voice soothes me.

On the corner of my left eye, I looked down to see Happy trembling and looking frightened by something. This seemed a bit concerning, almost like he was sensing something in this city, but what was up with him? Could he still be having nightmares about that day in the ruins? Ever since that day, Happy won't even go to the beach because he thinks the sand will eat him alive.

"Natsu... Tell me you recognize what's up ahead." He told me with a scared facial expression, flying into my arms, and turning his head away from what he had seen before anyone us.

I looked straight ahead to see that Furea chick from the ruins, brushing her long red hair while evilly smirking, and she was with five other people who appeared to be members of her team. They all had strange goggles and futuristic eyewear obscuring their eyes, and Furea wore a white business suit with orange leggings. Her teammates wore orange T-shirts with white miniskirts, and they had hair colors in orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Happy had the ability to sniff out the level of an enemy's magical power, with me kindly asking him to sniff out all those girls, and he seemed scared by all of them. Team Flare, or whatever their name was, were certainly not normal competitors. I guess we'd have to watch out for them, since Happy's fearfulness meant that their levels of skill might match the skills of that Serena chick.

* * *

**At a park in Crocus... (Sting's POV)**

Lucy and I had purchased some boxes of brownies and red velvet cupcakes from a nearby dessert shop, respectively in red and green boxes, and we were now sitting on a brown bench at a grassy park in Crocus. I bit into one of my chocolate brownies, tasting nothing but delicious sweetness from it, and my face looked happy with every bite I took after that one.

These brownies were really good, and I could see that Lucy was enjoying her red velvet cupcakes. She had eaten one already, her violet eyes showing delight from the delicious treat, and I even laughed a bit at the sight of her having white frosting on her face. Her black hair really shined beautifully in the sunlight, and her positive attitude was great.

Her confidence kept ascending to levels of greatness, and I secretly loved her as much as I loved that clone from the ruins who wore that red bikini. She was totally hot, but it was still Lucy. How could she be jealous of herself? I didn't know how that complicated stuff worked, but her fiery attitude and unyielding ambition to get stronger were things that really made me love her.

"This may be a pretty personal question, but are you planning to go all out against Fairy Tail? Not that I don't want you to, but has that been on your mind?" I asked her nicely while eating another one of my brownies, looking somewhat curious.

Lucy replied calmly to me, looking a bit uncomfortable at my question, "Look, Sting. I just want to forget that my past self even existed. With Fairy Tail hunting all over Fiore for me, I had to change. I became Serena Fennekin because a new start would mean a new life for me, and I'm really enjoying it. It's true that this might be where my past really catches up to me, but I refuse to lose to Fairy Tail."

Wow. I really wasn't expecting her to say that she wanted to really forget her past self, but then I had to put into consideration that she was really weak when she was with Natsu. She hadn't had any self-confidence when she was back in Fairy Tail, and Natsu really did only make things worse on her by cheating on her with that Lisanna chick. Seriously, that guy was rude for showing no remorse. Looking at it from Lucy's perspective, he really would have to pay for his actions.

"Don't worry about a thing, ok? We've gotten stronger on all the jobs that we've done together, and I have my faith in you. I know you'll do really great, Lucy, and I'll be right beside you every step of the way." I assured her with a look of confidence on my face, smiling more when I saw her blush and giggle while she looked straight at me with a smile.

Unknown to me, my left hand had moved on its own and it was caressing the left cheek of her rear in a soft manner. No wonder I was feeling something soft and warm for a few moments now, but Lucy's hot pink blush had distracted me from it. Her smile was a really good diversion, too, but I quickly pulled my hand away from that area when she used her right hand to adjust her panties.

"Sting, you're such a good and sneaky guy. I didn't even know that your hand was trying to get you to cheer me up that way. It's fine, though. I know that you feel embarrassed by your perverted actions, but it's ok. You're still getting your libido under control, like how I'm trying to control my clones when they see you. Love is a powerful thing, and I'll always understand your heart." She replied in a sultry tone, before sighing happily and resting her head against my chest.

At that moment, I knew that I really could trust himself when I was in a perverted situation or having an erotic daydream. Lucy hadn't beaten the crap out of me for what my hand had done because she put her complete trust in me, and she knew I wouldn't cross any risky lines in our relationship. Well, I still dreamt about her clones in bikinis. They were just way too sexy to not be in my mind, but I'd never let Lucy know that.

A smile of confidence made its way on to my face, as I locked my calm blue eyes with her relaxed violet eyes and slowly stood up with her. We had already spent an hour in the park, and both of us agreed on walking to Sabertooth's inn that was located in the Crocus Gardens. After all, every minute got us closer to the preliminary round. It changed every year, so we had to be ready for anything. However, while we walked together, Lucy and I suddenly stopped when we saw who was walking towards us.

* * *

It was none other than Furea from the volcano, and it looked like she had a full team with her. Team Flare was a criminal organization, not a guild, but those shady guys must've made themselves somehow be a legal guild in the eyes of the Magic Council. The fact that they had shown up for the Grand Magic Games really had me suspicious of their motives for being here, and I noticed Lucy and Furea glaring daggers at each other.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the talentless little girl from the volcano, and her boyfriend. I heard from Electra how you defeated that expendable blue-haired mage that we threw out, since she was a failed experiment, but you're not that great. You're still just a weak little runt, if you haven't learned any advanced fusion spells by now." Furea told Lucy in a condescending tone while smirking evilly, similar to Minerva, and making Lucy just as annoyed.

She retorted with a smirk of confidence while pulling out a small pink case from the left pocket of her black miniskirt, displaying the eight stones fitting perfectly in the oval-shaped indentations of the case, "Listen here, Furea! You talk a really big game, but I've got all eight elemental stones now! I've also learned to make my spells much better than they were before, so watch out!"

"You're not the only one with a full set of stones, hotshot. Of course, thanks to Team Flare's research and my position as an admin in the organization, I already had the eight stones in my possession before we even crossed paths. Unlike you, I don't need to excessively train in a guild to become stronger for something like this. Each of us came here to power up ourselves by fighting people with the same type of magic that matches our elemental stone. This way, we can make treasurable use of what all the scum will provide." Furea explained to us in a calm manner while scoffing, pulling out a red case from the right pocket of her orange pants to show us that she had eight stones as well.

This chick was seriously bad news, especially by having such rude and coldhearted motives. They were going to use other people's power in battle against them, making their opponents look completely idiotic while powering themselves up? On top of that, making spells with tons of unrestricted power could have very destructive results. Fusion spells, at that level, could probably kill somebody.

"Since we're both part of teams that are entering the preliminary round, let's have a little warm-up battle! After all, I want redemption for what happened in the volcano! I'm sure that I can take you on this time, Furea! Bring it on! My new lightning spells got me to a draw with Minerva Orlando, so I'll use them on you!" Lucy shouted fiercely, walking a little bit of distance away from me to make it like an official battlefield.

Furea laughed a bit, telling her teammates that this would be over quickly, and she stood directly across from Lucy. I had to wonder who would win this battle, hoping Lucy knew what she was doing, and I looked surprised to see Furea immediately use a spell of Fire Magic that was known as Flame Drive. She had obviously absorbed enough power from the Fire Stone to not have to hold it like an amateur, and it made a red aura surround her body.

Lucy smirked in retaliation, activating Motor Drive, and a yellow aura surrounded her body. Despite her matching Furea's first move, how would this work? Motor Drive absorbed electric attacks, not fire, and I gulped when Furea evilly narrowed her red eyes before unleashing a spell known as Flame Zigzag. This spell caused her to unleash a large spiraling beam of red flames from her mouth, and they moved towards Lucy while zigzagging like a tricky snake.

However, Lucy used the Electrical Strike spell to release multiple yellow beams of electricity from her body. They completely canceled out Furea's attack, surprising her and me. Back when Lucy fought Minerva, that spell wasn't as powerful. With her abilities increased to a new level, that first move was powerful enough to stop what appeared to have the same degree of power as a Flamethrower from a Typhlosion at Level 70.

"For a really confident girl, you certainly have gotten better. However, can you dodge this next move?" Furea asked calmly, stretching her arms out in front of her body while frowning a bit.

She used a spell known as Flare Grenades, causing many large fireballs to come down from the sky while they were aimed at Lucy. They probably could do massive damage in only a matter of seconds, making me wonder if Lucy could handle something like this with one of the basic seven lightning spells she had. Much to my surprise, she countered with Static Split.

This spell made lightning come down upon the copious amount of fireballs, now turning them into balls of electricity, and Lucy smirked with optimism in her eyes while they struck her head-on! I would've been scared, but then I remembered the Motor Drive spell. It increased her speed with every electrical attack that came into contact with her, and she was now moving... 200 times faster than normal!

"All right, kid. We'll call this a stalemate for now, since the preliminaries will begin soon. Also, you and I both know we can't show off too much before the main event. Your skills are pretty good for a little girl, but don't think I'll go so easy on you if we meet in the main matches." Furea told Lucy with a cold facial expression, walking away with her other female members of Team Flare.

"Sting, I feel so powerful now! Motor Drive really came in handy, and I feel so energetic right now! Can we get some donuts before we go back to the inn, or can I just run there?" Lucy frantically asked me while the electricity surrounded her body, helping her move at warp speed as she smiled and got two boxes of glazed chocolate donuts from a store in Crocus, regardless of the answer I would've given.

Seeing no reason to stick around in the park any longer, and to not hear Minerva give us a long lecture about being punctual, I calmly smiled while telling Lucy to take my hand and take us to the inn that was located in the Crocus Gardens.

* * *

**Two hours later... (Lucy's POV)**

All of the competing teams stood out on the balconies of their inns, as Lacrima Vision screens came up and showed the face of Mato, the mascot for the Grand Magic Games. Since it was a new year, I wondered if everything would be completely different. How would this preliminary round work, for starters? Suddenly, everyone felt their inns be raised upward into the sky. I held on to Sting's hand while the building shook, Motor Drive still in use, but would this qualifying round work like the Sky Labyrinth?

Mato was on the Lacrima Vision screens for us all to see, and I nearly gasped in awe when I noticed that we had all been taken to some ancient ruins that were floating in the sky. This was beyond amazing, never having witnessed something like this before, and I was astounded to see those strange creatures being released from Poké Balls that had been levitating in midair.

"Out of the 120 competing teams, only eight will be allowed to compete in the Grand Magic Games. Each team must pick one representative for the guild to ascend to the sealed ruins, and there are eight keyholes on the door. As you all see, there are 120 creatures from various regions having keys in their hands and mouth. Each correct key opens the door, and there are only eight of them. Any kind of magic is allowed, but you'll be eliminated if you fall off the Sky Ruins of Rayquaza." Mato announced, before vanishing along with the Lacrima Vision screens.

"Serena, this is your chance to really prove your worth to Team Sabertooth. If you get that key for us, imagine how cool that'll be. Plus, your different types of magic give you a total advantage." Sting kindly told me while we were holding hands, both of us blushing a light shade of pink from feeling each other's sense of encouragement.

Feeling that this was my moment to impress Sting, and to hopefully make Minerva stop berating me, I stepped forward before she could and I ran up the stone stairs that connected our inn to the Sky Ruins. There were many creatures on the ground, some even on top of the ruins, and some even flying through the air. I had noticed that Natsu and Lisanna had both volunteered for the Fairy Tail teams, causing me to harshly glare at them and hopefully be the first to find one of the eight correct keys. Furea was participating as well, making me even more determined to win.

I was about to use the Electrical Strike spell, until my violet eyes took notice of a cute little Pikachu running towards me and affectionately rubbing its head against my left leg. I wondered why it would suddenly come to me, having a small white key in its mouth, and then I giggled softly while remembering the chocolate donut that I had stashed away in the right pocket of my black miniskirt.

"Awwww, you're a cute little guy! You must've smelled the donut in my pocket with your sensitive nose, too. I'll let you have it, but you have to get me the correct key. If that's not it, then spit it out." I told it nicely while squatting down to rub its back, smiling a bit while Pikachu used a move known as Double Team to help me with my task after spitting out the key it originally wielded.

It quickly split into eight copies of itself, quickly running around to get me keys, and I was happy to know that Pikachu was such a hard worker. The eight yellow mice hurriedly came back with eight keys in their mouths, and I first decided to try the large golden key with a star-shaped bow. After putting it in the first keyhole and turning it, the door opened to reveal a bright light. This meant that I found the right key, and Sabertooth had arrived in first place.

"Pika Pika Pikachu!" It nicely told me with a smile while I petted its yellow tail that was shaped like a lightning bolt, and I happily waved goodbye to Pikachu while giving it the chocolate donut that it wanted from me.

I quickly went through the door and closed it shut, delighted that I helped my new guild qualify for the tournament to determine the best guild in Fiore. This room was filled with trophies and pictures of badges and ribbons to commemorate the teams that had won in the Grand Magic Games and in other events. I even saw a photo of a woman named Diantha, a mage who was said to be a real champion.

"_All right! I made it to the Grand Magic Games, and I'm going to show them all that I'm planning to win! Watch out, Natsu and Lisanna! You're about to experience my real power during these five days! You better be ready to beaten down as well, Furea and Minerva! Now that I truly believe that I can succeed, thanks to Sting's encouragement, I'll show you all how powerful I am!" _I thought with a determined facial expression, triumphantly posing with ambition entering my violet eyes.

* * *

**How was the 19th chapter? Thanks to Lucy/Serena, Team Sabertooth made it past the entry round! However, who else shall join them? What kind of event and battles shall occur? Will things heat up in the competition part, and how shall Fairy Tail react when one of their own is interfered with during the event? Standby for the next update!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

The six members of Team Sabertooth, including myself were eating breakfast at a restaurant in Crocus, and the first day of the Grand Magic Games had come around. Just like last year and the past years, everyone anticipated that we wouldn't know anything about the events or battles until they were announced. That really made it hard to form a surefire strategy, but what could we do about it?

Everyone sat around a white round table on the restaurant's wooden patio, and we were all eating waffles in different flavors with various toppings on them. I was still disguised as Serena, looking happy with a smile on my face while using my knife and fork to slice up my large waffles that were covered in maple syrup and eat one piece at a time. I knew that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, especially for battles that would probably be intense. After all, every team wanted to obtain 20 points on the first day.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of Fairy Tail's competing teams had gotten the last spot in the real competition like last year, and I was determined to beat both teams representing Fairy Tail. The confidence in my violet eyes could tell anyone that I wouldn't let Natsu or Lisanna win against me, and I certainly wouldn't go easy on the other members of their teams.

However, my thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of cheering and boasting from Sting and Lector as they sat next to me and shared a plate of blueberry waffles. It was pretty obvious that they were just as psyched for the tournament as I was, causing me to giggle a little. Froakie and Chespin were respectively eating plates of vanilla and chocolate pancakes, cheering in accordance with Lector and Sting, and I smiled softly at their support. Fennekin and Flabébé were too busy eating apple cinnamon and banana waffles, but they still showed their team spirit with some optimistic looks.

"All-right, Sting-kun! Let's show everyone that you're the strongest wizard in Fiore, and make Sabertooth proud! Sting-kun is number one with the power of light that obliterates everything, and you even made it to the semi-finals of the Sinnoh League three months ago!" Lector told him with an encouraging facial expression, before eating a piece of a blueberry waffle and chewing it slowly.

"That's right, Lector! We're going to win the Grand Magic Games this year, I promise! There's no way that we're going to lose to guilds like Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, or Lamia Scale! We just have to not lose, and keep winning! As for the Sinnoh League, don't even worry about it! I just got thrown off by Tobias and his Darkness Magic, but I'll win next time!" Sting replied with a confident grin, as he high-fived his red Exceed.

"I hope you know that the sponsors decide the pairings for the battle part, Serena. I heard a little something about you and a member of Team Flare having a little fight yesterday, so don't leap from the booth like a disgraceful hooligan if we're matched up against someone from that guild. You may not get picked today or any other day, since the crowd only wants to see real talent coming from a skilled lady like me." Minerva told me while smirking arrogantly, continuing to obviously show her disapproval of me once again.

After hearing her snide comment towards me, I put my silverware on the table while narrowing my purple eyes. Today, I definitely couldn't just sit back and watch everyone else have all the fun. I was going to show my worth to Minerva, and I wanted to impress Sting as well. After all the training we did together, there was no way that I was going to fail. I aggressively slammed my hands down on the table, leaning over to be face to face with my greatest rival.

"If I do today's event or get chosen for the battle, I'll definitely win! No one's going to stop me, Minerva! Just watch me throughout this tournament, and I'll show you that being condescending of me was a big mistake on your part! I'm ready to rumble and roughhouse with anybody, including you!" I retorted with determination in my voice, looking steamed at Minerva with my left fist raised her while I prepared to hit her if it was necessary.

The Domus Flau was far from where we were located, so Minerva teleported everyone to be a short distance away from it where we could reach the stadium in time without running so far. If we had been running, we'd probably be too exhausted to battle. My first moment of glory for my new guild was going to come today, and my spells would show how strong I had gotten. The inauguration was starting soon, so I couldn't be nervous.

* * *

**Sting's POV**

I watched Lucy quickly check her appearance in the reflection of a nearby glass window, and I nicely smirked while my blue eyes scanned her from head to toe. She wore a light pink T-shirt, a cute red miniskirt, and some scarlet red flat shoes to match. She also had pulled out the pink case for the elemental stones from the left pocket of her red miniskirt, and the curious look on her face made me guess that she was thinking about which type of magic to use today.

She always looked great, no matter what, and I loved how Lucy had always given it 120% effort in training. She really did want to improve, and I could tell that she would do well. I had secretly wanted her to be selected for the first battle today, knowing she'd be ambitious and give it her best shot. She would definitely win against whoever her opponent was, but which stone would she use?

"You always look hot, and you're so powerful. If you get chosen to battle today, Lector and I will cheer for you like crazy! I can already tell that you're going to win, no matter who your opponent is or what the event is. You can totally do it, Lucy!" I told her with a smile on my face, before grinning confidently and giving her a thumbs-up while winking with my right eye.

"Thank you, Sting! I'm going to compete today for Sabertooth, and I'm going to win for both of us! Sorry if I seemed totally fierce earlier, but I really want to beat Fairy Tail because it'll make me feel like I'm stronger than my past self!" She responded with strong emotions in her voice while still looking fierce and probably feeling confidence rising up from inside her.

I understood her reasons for wanting to participate today, and I really did like that fierce look of passion and excitement in her violet eyes. I gave her a soft kiss on the lips for good luck, and she blushed a light shade of pink before returning the kiss and feeling me lightly wrap my arms around her waist. Making her feel comfortable was one of my first priorities, and kissing her was the best way to deliver comfort.

Every single minute led us closer to the beginning of the Grand Magic Games, and I was eager to find out who had qualified along with us. After all, finding a key from all those creatures yesterday had to be tough. We were pretty lucky that Lucy bonded so well with Pikachu, but then I remembered that her awesome social skills could make her have good understandings with almost everyone she came across.

"Hey, I'll race you to the booth where Sabertooth is located! If I win, you are going to be treated to gourmet food by me! I hope your stomach's ready, Lucy, because I'm going to introduce you to a very delicious cheeseburger, some nice fries, and a chocolate flambé! I get more dessert, though!" I happily told while cockily smirking, getting a head start to get my girlfriend motivated today.

"Oh, you are so on! If I win that race, we're going to have a nice date with a deluxe shopping trip included! Prepare to carry many bags of awesome things, Sting!" She responded confidently, running after me with some evenly matched speed that nearly made a huge breeze blow past the other people who were headed to the Domus Flau today.

* * *

**40 minutes later... (Normal POV)**

The time had finally arrived for the inauguration of the Grand Magic Games in the year X792, and there were balloons of many colors being released into the air. Spectators filled the many rows of seats in the Domus Flau, and the guild masters were in the stadium's booths along with non-competing members of their respective guilds. Everyone wondered who had made it past the qualifying round, and who would be on the teams.

The announcer and judges were in a booth near the king's booth, and Chapati Lola looked excited about the Grand Magic Games while he turned on his microphone and tested it to make sure that it was working. The other judges followed suit, testing their microphones, and they looked just as excited as Chapati did. Well, how could they not want to see which eight teams would be trying to be the best in Fiore?

"Welcome to the Grand Magic Games of X792, everyone! Once again, we're all here to decide the best guild in Fiore! Fairy Tail's win last year was exciting to see, but can they win again and keep their success going? Will someone else rise to the top? Let's get ready to see the eight competing teams, everybody!" Chapati announced excitedly, causing the spectators in the arena to cheer and roar while some fan girls added their screams of delight to all the excitement.

"I hope that everyone competes fairly this year. We don't want to have to disqualify anyone and ban them for three years like we had to do with Team Raven Tail last year. There will be many cameras watching the events and battles, tracking every move that is made." Yajima commented sternly, hoping no one would be foolish enough to cheat.

"Hello, everybody! It's great to be here for the first time, too! I'm Candice Snowpoint, the main specialist of Ice Magic in the faraway land of Sinnoh, and I hope we see some blazing hot battles today! Let's see who has the fire that's hot enough to break the ice!" A black-haired woman announced with a happy smile on her face, being the guest judge for today.

Then, the teams were getting ready to be announced. They would be announced in ascending order from the 8th place team to the team that got 1st place in the Sky Ruins event yesterday. Aside from Sabertooth, who else had qualified to compete in the Grand Magic Games this year? Would Lucy get her wish of seeing Fairy Tail compete for her to grind them into dust?

The first group to be announced was Team Quatro Cerberus, who had gotten 8th place this time around. Their team consisted of Bacchus, Rocker, Nobarly, Yaeger, and Semmes. Hopefully, for their sake, they wouldn't have to be renamed Team Quatro Puppy like last year. They had majorly received boos from the crowd for their mediocre performance in the tournament last year, but could they turn it around?

In seventh place, Team Mermaid Heel. The mages on the team were Kagura, Milliana, Beth, Risley, and Arania. Could they achieve fourth place at the end like they did last year? This guild had only been known well because of most of the praise going down on Kagura Mikazuchi for her strength and durability, and the other members weren't exactly at her level.

The guild that came in sixth place was Team Flare, shocking the judges and everyone in the crowd. The Grand Magic Games were letting them participate? Flare Corona was standing in a booth in the stands with her father, Lysandre Flare, and she smiled at the fact that this team had gotten 6th place on purpose to most likely not show off too much. This team was composed of Furea, Aliana, Electra, Bryony, Mable, and Celosia.

Following them, were the six members of Team Blue Pegasus. Many fan girls were screaming like crazy because of the Trimens who were known as Eve Tearm, Ren Akatsuki, and Hibiki Lates. They were joined by Nichiya, Jenny Realight, and Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki. Many men drooled over how beautiful Jenny looked in her purple dress, and she blew kisses to the crowd.

Afterwards, Team Lamia Scale came out on to the battlefield of the Domus Flau. This team was composed of Chelia Blendy, Lyon Vastia, Jura Neekis, Toby Horhorta, and Yuka Suzuki. Ooba Babasaama scolded them for getting 4th place again, but then she saw the reason why when Chelia Blendy was holding various keys in her right hand while a Zigzagoon had chomped itself down on her left hand. She had tried to pull it off with her other hand, only to have her Sky God Slayer Magic blow it all the way into the sky.

Then, Team Fairy Tail A arrived in the Domus Flau. Erza, Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Gray, and Juvia heard the tremendous roars of the crowd since Fairy Tail had won last year. They had confident smiles on their faces that told everyone that they planned to win again this year, and Natsu triumphantly posed for the crowd. He roared up at the crowd that Fairy Tail could beat the pants off of anyone, causing them to positively cheer his name as a response.

Surprisingly, the next team to arrive was Team Fairy Tail B. It consisted of Lisanna, Mirajane, Elfman, Cana, Wendy, and Jellal. The crowd cheered for them as well, since they also represented Fairy Tail. Lisanna and Natsu immediately ran to each other while smiling, and they shared a deep kiss that made the crowd go wilder for Fairy Tail. With the 2nd place team announced, only one team remained unknown.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

My heart was palpitating with nervousness right now, my legs trembling a bit while we all stood in the darkness of the hallway, and I looked somewhat nervous about going out there on the 1st place team. Would I be well-received if I go out there with my teammates? Would everyone hate me as Serena Fennekin, and would I be laughed at for being Sabertooth's most recent rookie?

I had to push aside my fears, though. This would be the start of me showing Fairy Tail that I was certainly not the weak mage who they been hunting for like rabid dogs, and I was going to do my best for Sabertooth. I had the aspiration to win, the conviction to succeed, and my fierce motives of gaining Minerva's respect and showing Sting my strength were growing strong like a tornado of wind that could obliterate anything in its path.

"Are you ready for this, Serena? Are you totally ready to go out there, show us all how much you've grown, and kick some major butt while you're at it?" Sting asked me with a calm look on his face, holding my left hand in his right hand, speaking in such an encouraging manner that made me feel pumped up.

Blushing a light shade of pink while my violet eyes became filled with positive energy from hearing Sting's voice, I kindly responded after adjusting my cute pink hat, "I'm definitely psyched up for this, Sting! No matter who comes our way, we'll defeat them and achieve victory in the Grand Magic Games! Those guys may be tough, true. However, just like when one of my clones caught a dangerous White Kyurem in Unova, I'm not going to be scared or run away!"

As I heard Chapati prepare to announce the name of the team that had gotten 1st place in the Sky Ruins event, Sting and I gave each other looks of assurance that we would win. Minerva, Rogue, Orga and Rufus looked calm as well, and I was going to help Sabertooth ascend the top where we deserved to be. We walked toward the bright light that would open up the arena and reveal the other participants to us, making me eager to face people like Natsu and Furea once more.

"Finally, we have the 1st place team stepping on to the battlefield! Can they reclaim their former glory this time around, especially after their defeat in last year's Grand Magic Games? It's the guild that held the longest win streak before Fairy Tail took it from them, Team Sabertooth, everybody!" Chapati excitedly announced, sounding thrilled about Sabertooth's return to the spotlight.

When we got out on to the battlefield, the crowd surprisingly cheered much louder for us than they did for Fairy Tail. Even though I was a rookie, I looked pretty happy and cheerfully giggled when most of the crowd recognized me from the newspapers that showed my clones completing many jobs in various faraway lands. People even cheered the name "Serena" loudly, and a group of little girls wore cute pink hats that looked just like mine in a smaller size.

Upon looking at the competition, I fiercely glared at some of the other people who were staring me down. Kagura Mikazuchi simply frowned while Milliana looked shocked to see such a seemingly famous person like myself, but Jura and Lyon from Lamia Scale looked pretty eager to fight me during this epic tournament. Gajeel and Laxus also gave me confident smiles, having heard of my power, and I smiled proudly in response with the hopes of having good battles against them sometime.

Furea and the rest of Team Flare eagerly looked at me, remembering the warm-up battle we had from two days ago, and I gave Furea a stern glare to let her know that she would certainly not be getting the best of me at any moment during this tournament. Chelia and Toby nervously looked at both of us, seeing how we fiercely stared each other down, and they curiously wondered what our tense history was about.

Natsu shouted at me with an annoyed facial expression, pointing his left index finger straight at me, "There you are, Serena! Don't think that we forgot for even a second how you beat me to a pulp and sent us blasting off into the sky like a trio of chumps with your abnormal Earth Magic! We're going to make you pay for that, and we'll rough you up good! I could take you on in my sleep, you got that?!"

Sting quickly shielded me in an attempt to threaten Natsu to not mess with me, but I motioned for him to step aside before folding my arms and closing my eyes while countering Natsu's statement with a sharp tongue and a harsh look, "Wow, what a loudmouth. You're so confident that you can defeat me, yet you yourself stated that my Earth Magic kicked your ass. I really dislike hypocrites, but you're right about one thing. The only place where you can defeat me is in your feeble little dreams, Natsu. It really must be painful for you do things out of desperation for Lisanna's approval. Wait a minute, that's right. You are a foot-licking little bitch who always needs his doggy treats while being on a leash by Lisanna, aren't you? Your bark is more mediocre than your bite, and it's another perfect example of you being the epitome of pathetic trash."

At that moment, most of the other mages let out a big "Ooooh!" in unison at my words towards Natsu. Even the crowd and the judges were impressed by such an image-shattering comeback like that, and I looked pretty happy to receive high-fives from Cana and Wendy for my remarks. Orga, Rufus, and Sting also high-fived me for what I had said. Natsu looked totally angry by my words, prompting him to be restrained by Erza and Lisanna.

Minerva seemed really shocked to hear something so condescending come out of my mouth, and even Furea smirked in a heckling manner at what I said to the brash idiot that had cheated on me and stepped all over my heart like I was a bunch of dirt. Gajeel, Laxus, and even Gray continued to laugh. Of course, Gray had always enjoyed seeing Natsu get told by anybody.

* * *

**5 minutes later... (Minerva's POV)**

After all the laughter ceased, a stone tablet rose up from the ground and it had the program for the five days of the Grand Magic Games on it. The events would happen before the battles on each day, except the fifth day where the event was the survival tournament that involved battles. I had to wonder what the first event would be like, but I wanted to see Serena fail for me to take the major applause in the end.

To really remind us all about the events not only being physical challenges, and to make it seem supposedly enjoyable for the audience, the game of the first day was known as 'Hidden'. For events, the teams could select a member to participate instead of the sponsors deciding. I really wanted to gain those 10 points, knowing Rufus could easily win at something like this, but a devious smirk formed on my face when I put strategy aside to test the abilities of a certain newbie.

Team Quatro Cerebus had selected Yaeger, Beth had volunteered for Mermaid Heel, Eve Team stepped forward for Blue Pegasus, Lyon decided to do this for Lamia Scale, prompting Gray Fullbuster from Team Fairy Tail A to also step forward. That girl named Cana Alberona had volunteered for Team Fairy Tail B, and that blue-haired girl named Mable decided to participate for Team Flare.

Rufus was about to step forward to represent Sabertooth, but I grabbed his left hand with my right hand while fiercely glaring at him. I know that he could memorize and pinpoint everyone's movements in this game, but that would be far too easy. Seeing Serena get beaten down would be much more satisfying, and I bet that she wasn't as strong as she was rumored to be.

"You're doing it, Serena. After all, you're still the newbie of Sabertooth. If you can talk so harshly to Natsu, let's see what your skills say to me. I want to see this ambition Sting tells me about when he defends you, so let us see if you can prove that my views about you are wrong. If you are more powerful than lucky, you have no problem with volunteering for Sabertooth." I told her with a stern glare on her face, shoving her to where the other seven participants were standing while not even caring if she would protest.

"Don't worry about it, Minerva. I'm going to make our guild proud, and this isn't just for you. I'll do this to try and improve myself, too! My clones have given me all sorts of new tricks, and you haven't seen anything yet! As far as I'm concerned, that battle we had back then was just practice for when we really fight! I'll win this event, you'll see!" She responded with a confident look on her face, strength entering her violet eyes, surprising me since I thought she'd be completely reluctant about this.

Wow, Sting was totally right. Serena had a very fierce drive about winning in this tournament, but he wouldn't tell me about the motive she had for this whole thing. It certainly had me curious, but I didn't really want to hear her petty reasons. I still doubted that she was even as great as the newspapers and magazines portrayed her to be, and there was no chance that she could prove me wrong.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

In an instant, Mato commanded the field to magically open up and a town appeared in the middle of the Domus Flau. Everyone was teleported to a different location in the town, clearly not knowing where the others were spawned or where they would be hiding. To make things more complicated, numerous clones of each participant began to appear in the town.

"For those of you who don't know how to play, I'll explain the rules! Attack a person, and you get one point! The person who was attacked will lose a point, and they will be spawned somewhere else. If the attacker attacks a clone of their opponent, the attacker loses a point! In the end, whoever has the most points wins the game! The time limit is 15 minutes! Now, let 'Hidden' begin!" Chapati announced while looking thrilled for what was to come.

How in the world was I supposed to find everybody in a town full of clones? I couldn't tell the real ones apart from the fakes, since everyone was blending in with the crowd, and my eyes were becoming filled with nervousness from seeing all the clones pass me by, but the Dawn Stone in my pink case suddenly began to glow brightly while emitting its beautiful pink aura.

I took it out of the case, wondering what kinds of new spells were given to this elemental stone, and I closed my eyes while quietly focusing my mind on the stone to see its new abilities. I could see the new set of fusion spells in my mind, so clear and vivid, and then I knew that this event had an easy way to win. Noticing that this town looked exactly like Black City from Unova, I quickly climbed to the top of Black Tower for a better view of the city.

Raising my arms high above my head, I unleashed my first new fusion spell of Heavenly Body Magic. This spell was known as Cosmic Sky, causing me to shoot a pink sphere of energy into the air to turn the sky pink. The clouds were surrounded by a light pink aura, and they unleashed pink beams of energy down on to the city! My violet eyes were filled with confidence, from seeing only the real participants have pink auras surrounding their bodies, and the beams had struck them head-on at high speeds! They created seven pink blasts of energy, destroying a few buildings, and I happily smiled at what I was seeing.

There were Lacrima Vision screens displaying everyone, showing their locations, and Gray certainly looked miffed at my sudden attack on him. I didn't feel too happy that Cana was groaning in pain, but she got back up on her feet. I currently had seven points, and I seemed a bit surprised when I found myself having to dodge ice eagles sent from Lyon Vastia.

He told me from below with an arrogant look on his face, noticing that I had managed to stay on top of Black Tower, "Serena, you're pretty good. I'm sure that even Gray can't use such a swift sneak attack like that."

Before I could give him a response, however, I noticed Gray looking pretty fierce while jumping up to the top of the tower with a hammer of ice in his hands. He was planning to strike me, but I simply stretched my left arm outward towards him. This spell was known as Heavenly Repel, giving me the ability to push Gray away from me in midair and send a pink beam of energy towards him. It had hit him directly, earning me another point, and that was only a little payback for trying to hunt me down for so long.

Upon seeing a clone of myself walking down below, I immediately grinned strategically while jumping off of the tower to meet her. This time, I had used my third fusion spell. This spell was known as Heavenly Influence, causing me to simply blow a pink heart-shaped kiss at my clone. She blushed a light shade of pink, being engulfed in an aura of the same color, and I told her to pass this spell on to my other replications.

This spell's purpose was to be tricky, and I quickly dodged some Carrot Missiles that Beth Vanderwood had sent my way. They hit my clone in the back of her head, and the pink aura went up into the air. It took the form of many small shooting stars, coming down on Beth while creating many miniature pink explosions. Basically, attacking anything my kiss touched would cause the attacker to be attacked.

Gray exclaimed fiercely, running at me while making an ice sword appear in his hands, "You use such joke techniques like that?! Are you seriously toying with us like this is a game?"

"I'm not playing around at all, Gray! If you think I'm going easy on you, then we'll do this the hard way! Time for the fourth fusion spell, Cosmic Demonic Astral Stars!" I responded defensively, offended that he thought I would ever go easy on Fairy Tail.

Quickly grabbing my clone's hands, I watched her spin me around at a fast pace before throwing me at Gray. This impact would make him lose one point, but I had a better idea. Narrowing my violet eyes at him, I had received five golden metal star-shaped projectiles in each hand. I threw one at Gray, only to have him deflect it with his sword, but that was the perfect opening to plant the rest of them on the front parts of his body.

The stars couldn't be removed from their targets, and they had the unique ability of sapping strength from whatever they touched. I quickly received most of Gray's magical power, before the stars detached themselves from him to go high into the air. They came speeding towards him while spinning like shuriken, and they all made a massive pink blast of energy occur when they struck him simultaneously.

I really felt the strength entering my body, almost like I really had gotten stronger than before, and I took some attention off of myself to notice the rankings on a nearby Lacrima Vision screen. I currently had 10 points, gaining 5 more because of my clone passing off Heavenly Influence to anyone who tried attacking my replications, and Mable from Team Flare was in fourth place with 9 points.

She had been attacking Yaeger from Quatro Puppy the whole time with Water Rush and Water Cyclone, and she had also struck Eve from Blue Pegasus. Gray had only been attacking people multiple times before they were spawned somewhere else, giving him 14 points with one barrage of kicks to Beth's head. Cana had 13 points, meaning that we were the top three. Fairy Tail trained hard, I'll give them that, but I trained even harder.

"Time for the fifth spell, Cosmic Kinesis!" I shouted confidently, noticing Eve Tearm running past me while Lyon Vastia was running after him as he summoned ice snakes to attack his target.

My eyes glowed light pink for a moment, and I pointed my left and right index fingers at Lyon and Eve. They both became outlined in a pink aura while I moved my fingers upward to lift them into the air, and I slammed them down on the ground with a mid-level amount of force. That earned me two more points, and Cosmic Kinesis also immobilized anything it hit for a short time.

I took notice of how everyone's attacks were beginning to destroy the city, and seeing a building turned to rubble gave me an idea for the sixth fusion spell. It was known as Heavenly Cosmic Corkscrew, causing me to simply unleash a large corkscrew-shaped beam of pink energy from my mouth. However, this was no ordinary move. With each thing it hit, after I spread out the rubble into six adjacent piles, the beam grew larger and seemed faster than before. It hit Yaeger from Quatro Puppy head-on, having seven times its original power since it hit seven items, and the enormous bubblegum pink blast was like seeing heaven itself. Many buildings had been obliterated, and I simply went back to the top of the Black Tower like a queen ruling the kingdom.

That blast's power had also been focused properly to only hit Lyon, Gray, Mable, Eve, and Beth as well, but Cana had dodged it with a Force Field card that could protect her from all kinds of attacks for a short while. Now having 6 more points in this destroyed magical town, I knew that people would be coming after me now. Mable had also been picking on Gray during this event, like Nullpuding from Raven Tail, and her moves were impressive. (They will be in the battle part later on, in case you're wondering.)

"Serena, you coward! You can't win this game that easily, and your spells won't last forever! I don't know what kind of mage you are, but your abnormal attacks won't be enough to beat us!" Gray yelled with an annoyed look, growling fiercely as him and Lyon respectively made an ice pillar and an ice giraffe to reach the top of the tower.

They both jumped into the air, determined to at least land one attack on me, but my final fusion spell would show Gray a thing or two about thinking that he could beat me. I closed my violet eyes for a moment, stretching my arms outward in opposite directions with my palms open, and I was gathering cosmic energy from the heavens above. The air around me rippled with the power I was emanating, a rose pink aura engulfing my body.

"I've had enough of you, Gray! It's time for my final spell to take you down and end this event! Let's see if you'll enjoy this last attack, and I call it Rose Pink Retribution, The Heavenly Grand Symphony of The Stars!"

The sky changed from being pink to having dark clouds swirling in the air above the Domus Flau, making a hole for the attack to come through. I began to spin around rapidly in a clockwise formation, the swirling clouds mimicking my movements, and many pink star-shaped beams began to be released from the clouds. They were spinning at an extremely fast pace, honing in on their targets, and they easily hit all of my opponents multiple times while hitting the rubble of the town as well. Many large pink blasts of energy transpired, blinding the eyes of all the spectators, and this spell also had the effect of growing exponentially in power with every target that was hit.

When the billowing pink smoke quickly cleared up, the entire town had been obliterated with the exception of Black Tower. Pink flames surrounded the battlefield in a wide circle, disappearing like Black Tower when the time ran out. I safely landed on the ground with the others, healing their injuries with Cosmic Hearts to show that I wasn't totally evil like Minerva.

"What a heavenly display of cosmic power, folks! Serena Fennekin from Sabertooth wins the event with a whopping 56 points, earning her 1st place, and Team Sabertooth receives 10 points! To have such precision to not even strike a clone of an opponent... This girl's got mad skills!" Chapati exclaimed while looking down at me, astounded by what he had witnessed.

"She bonds well with that Heavenly Body Magic, to have such powerful spells, and it really is understanding her commands." Yajima added while smiling, impressed with my power.

"That girl was on fire, kicking butt out there! She really got heated up and took out those ice mages with her burning determination to win! That was some great focus in her moves, really!" Candice Snowpoint added, looking ecstatic at my great feat.

After the event was over, the current points for each team was displayed on Lacrima Vision screens for everyone to see. Sabertooth had 10 points, Fairy Tail A had 8 points, Fairy Tail B had 6 points, and followed by Team Flare who had 4 points, Lamia Scale had 3, Blue Pegasus had 2, Mermaid Heel had 1, leaving Quatro Cerberus with zero points.

* * *

**10 minutes later... (Minerva's POV)**

When the competitors from the event went up to the booths where their teams were waiting, everyone could only talk about Serena's powerful spells since she almost obliterated a magically-created town and damaged it with her Heavenly Body Magic. Sting was holding her in a bridal-style fashion while kissing her on the lips, something that just made me gag. She probably only won by pure luck, nothing more, and there was no way that a rookie like her could do well in a real battle.

Speaking of battles, the battle part had begun with Gajeel Redfox from Team Fairy Tail A facing off against Nobarly from Team Quatro Cerberus. Gajeel had slammed him into the wall with a simple Iron Dragon's Roar, knocking him out and quickly ending the match. Team Fairy Tail A received 10 points for winning while maintaining second place, but Team Quatro Cerberus was still down in eighth place with zero points. They certainly were pathetic.

The second match of the day had pitted Wendy Marvell from Team Fairy Tail B against Eve Tearm from Team Blue Pegasus. The little blue-haired girl unleashed a move called Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, striking him with her fingertips while leaving behind a trail of blue winds. She followed up with Sky Dragon's Roar, not even letting Eve attack once, and he was knocked out from taking the full force of her attack. Team Fairy Tail B received 10 points, keeping them in 3rd place.

The next match had me facing off against that pathetic Arania Web from Team Mermaid Heel, and I certainly didn't want to drag this on long for Serena to call me slow. As I quickly teleported down from the booth to meet my opponent, hitting her with a large energy wave that had the properties of solid titanium, I evilly smiled at the scum standing before me. It hit Arania directly, not letting her create a single one of her mediocre webs, and my attack surrounded her while causing her excruciating pain. She was easily rendered unconscious, earning me 10 more points for Team Sabertooth. We still kept first place, a perfect first day.

Finally, the fourth and final battle was Team Flare versus Team Lamia Scale. Mable Mizu went up against Toby Horhorta, dodging the strikes from his Super Paralysis Claw: Mega Mega Jellyfish. I must say, Mable was impressive. She made raindrops fall from the sky with a spell known as Rainy Destruction, causing blue explosions to transpire on the battlefield. She evilly smirked at the sight of Toby being sent blasting off into the sky, but she grabbed him with a water whip that emerged from her left palm. This was known as Aqua Rope, and its water also expanded to make a bubble that was big enough to contain her opponent and deprive him of oxygen for three minutes. She released him from his prison, and he fell flat on his face while not moving to symbolize his loss while Lamia Scale still had fifth place.

"How very pitiful. He certainly wasn't brimming with energy, and that fool should go be with the group of weak Koffing that we threw out yesterday. Team Flare will own all the energy from the mages and creatures in this world, except for the trash." She told an unconscious Toby, grinning evilly while getting 10 points for Team Flare to keep fourth place.

* * *

After all of the battles had ended, we all decided to stop by a dessert shop to celebrate our great victories. Of course, I hadn't said anything to Serena when her little fan girls were asking for her autograph on their hats. Why was she so cool, anyway? Anybody could probably do what she did, and I doubt that her spells were even that strong. She had luck, that's all.

"Man, Serena. You just keep getting stronger every day, and I love that about you." Sting told her with a flirty smile on his face, blinking his blue eyes at her while caressing her cheeks that were blushing a light shade of pink.

"Thank you, Sting! I really did it for you, you know. I wanted to impress you with my skills, and I think the whole stadium liked what I was displaying for them. This makes me want to battle even more, and I'll really show off my wicked skills!" Serena happily responded while they sat next to each other in our booth for six, giggling and cuddling while being all lovey-dovey.

I swear, seeing her with Sting was really making me agitated. The way how he kissed her lips was so loving and sweet, and her little giggle made me want to slam a building down on her. He's acting like she has what I don't, but what could a superior expert like me not have what a novice newbie's got? I had experience, power, and money. I could give him anything he wanted. As for Serena, I felt like throwing cupcakes at her while also throwing her down a sewer.

She was so confident and happy, only getting lucky today, but I would show her who the superior woman was for Team Sabertooth. She and Sting had also gone to a fashion store earlier, holding hands, and they were lucky that there were no pet names for each other involved. If he was planning to make Serena ache externally from getting frisky with her in the hot spring, I would make her ache internally and be greatly humiliated tomorrow. I'm sure that such a great mage could always use a little something extra to eat.

* * *

**How was the 20th chapter? Sorry if the filler battles went a little too quick. Anyway, the Grand Magic Games have finally begun! Events, battles, romance, thrills, emotion, drama... It shall all be in this arc! Sting is getting good with Lucy, but can he help her in the battle tomorrow when she has a disadvantage? Will Minerva get her wish of humiliating her rival? Will Sting and Natsu's conflict heat up? Standby for the update!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I had woken up in the room that I shared with Minerva at the inn located in Crocus Gardens where the Sabertooth guild was staying, and I gasped softly when looking at my reflection in the nearby window. I had reverted back to my normal form, having blonde hair and brown eyes, meaning my transformation as Serena had worn off after five days. I felt the sunlight's warmth come down on my face, prompting me to smile softly since it reminded me of Sting being so warm and enlightening me with courage and how to bond with the elemental stones.

Today was the 2nd day of the Grand Magic Games, and I looked determined to win again like I had done yesterday. Not only for my sake, but to show Sting that we hadn't trained so hard for nothing. The Dawn Stone proved to be very useful yesterday, and I had planned to use the Dusk Stone today. Even though the battles wouldn't occur at night, I had hoped that the clone of me who wielded this stone had come across a way to make Darkness Magic be super effective in the daytime.

I looked under the white bed sheets to see that I wasn't wearing any clothes, and I blushed cherry red while looking embarrassed. If Sting and the others came in to say good morning, they would see me in the nude and also see that my transformation had worn off again. Upon hearing Minerva groan a little bit, since the sunlight was probably shining right in her eyes to blind her, I acted quickly and ran into the nearby bathroom.

After quickly closing the sliding door, I simply closed my eyes and focused on my Transformation Magic. I perfectly concentrated on the image of myself as Serena Fennekin, giggling happily while my blonde hair became long and black with my eyes turning violet as well. I did look a few years older than how I looked as Lucy Heartfilia, and I decided to start my morning off with a hot shower since I was already in the bathroom.

As I turned the faucet for the hot water to run from the showerhead, I looked curious about the possibility of turning the stones into hybrids. Could I fuse one type of magic with something that my opponent had sent my way, and could I reflect their attack right back at them? It seemed like a pretty risky gamble, and I didn't want to do it during a battle. Critical hits would hurt a lot, and I couldn't afford to be careless against anyone.

When the water had gotten hot enough, I stepped under the showerhead to feel the hot water being like kisses to my skin. It certainly relaxed my tired muscles and creaky joints, making me feel so wonderful to feel the water's heat. It brought back the wonderful memory of when Sting and I had kissed in the hot spring, the water being even warmer back then to really give us a romantic and steamy moment.

I smiled while stretching my arms high above my head and lowering them to put blue body wash on my pink washcloth. I began to scrub my body in a slow and steady manner, enjoying the smell of blue raspberries from the body wash as it was on every part of my body. It felt so cold and good, feeling even better with the hot water, and I blushed a light shade of pink.

I looked completely relaxed while washing myself, almost imagining the soft scrubbing of my body being done by Sting. It felt so good to let out a soft moan of pleasure when I washed my breasts, feeling so content from the hot water gently landing on my nipples, and my blush became cherry red when I used my right hand to softly caress my large and curvy rear. I moaned Sting's name softly, wanting him to enter me right now in my heated happiness. After letting the water wash the soap off my body, I sighed joyfully with delight.

* * *

"Well, look what we have here. When Sting's not around, you must love having your little erotic fantasies about him. Touching yourself shows such desperation, but I would expect that from a rookie like you. I bet that you and him haven't even done it yet, mostly because you're probably frightened of the thought of him getting deep with you." Minerva told me with a teasing smirk on her face, before going under the showerhead that was next to mine for her to follow her prissy routine of cleanliness.

Narrowing my violet eyes at her, I sternly replied, "You know, Sting told me that you're his ex-girlfriend. Minerva, I seriously that you're envious of our relationship. He broke up with you, and he's with me now. You just can't admit that I'm good with him, since your prissy attitude made you totally incompatible with him. He's in love with me, not you."

"I have no problem with Sting dating someone else, especially not a low-rent gutter punk with horrible eyes and a bunch of tricks that come with her spells. Gimmicks only get you so far, and you saw how I took down Arania in one shot yesterday. When comparing seven attacks to one, that clearly shows who the superior woman is between the two of us. You're a total loser, really." She retorted, evilly smiling with a taunting look in her green eyes while turning around for me to wash her back.

Lucky for her, I was nice enough to wash her back for her. Minerva had really soft skin, I'll admit that, but she had a really harsh tongue. One day, I would make her eat her words. At least I knew how to really impress Sting with my spells, instead of rushing battles like how Minerva had done in her fight yesterday. We both had the same goal of becoming the best mage, but the ways we went about reaching those goals couldn't be anymore different from each other.

She was Sting's ex, and she needed to be accepting of whoever he was with. I may have used the Dawn's Stone full arsenal of fusion spells to show him how strong I was, but at least I showed respect to my opponents by healing them in case they had to battle. Minerva was just brutal to Arania, and I wasn't surprised. With the back washing, I prepared to walk past her before she tripped me with her left leg. I landed on my back, glaring up at her while she got down on her hands and knees to be directly above me with our lips only an inch apart.

"What do you want now, Minerva?" I harshly asked with a glare on my face, prepared to kick her in the mouth if necessary.

"I just forgot to mention that you really surprised me yesterday, so I got you a little something from the dessert shop. You better appreciate it, since it's the only reward you'll ever get from me." She replied nicely, teleporting me out of the bathroom for her to be alone in the shower while giggling in a kind manner. That really surprised me, but even a mean witch like Minerva had to have a nice side.

* * *

As I put a purple towel around my body, using another one to dry my hair, Sting and the others came in the room to greet me and Minerva with confident looks on their faces. However, Sting and Lector pretty much stopped in their tracks when their eyes widened in amazement from seeing me in a bath towel. They had never seen me like this before, but I smiled while giggling a bit.

Sting looked like he wanted to take off my towel while he was hugging me, but I also saw him glare back at Rufus and Orga. They had never seen me wearing only a towel, and both of them were blushing cherry red. Upon seeing Sting growl a bit as he stared them down, they both turned their heads while claiming that they both were now blind.

"We're totally going to win today, just like we did yesterday! Let's keep this momentum going and show everyone who this year's champions are, Serena! Your skills yesterday were totally awesome, and even the audience got excited by all your power!" Sting told me while looking hyped up for today's event and battles, as he began to cheer alongside Lector again.

"You're right, Sting! Today is the day that I feel like the battle for Sabertooth has my name written all over it, and there's no way that I'm going to lose!" I replied with a passionate look in my violet eyes, as I looked determined to succeed and went to the brown dresser nearby to pick out my outfit for today while my towel slowly fell off my body.

In an instant, I had picked out a lavender T-shirt that left my abdomen exposed and I also wore my favorite black skirt with some amethyst purple high heels to compliment my outfit. My excellent tastes in style made Sting have a happy smirk on his face, prompting Lector to smirk confidently as well in support of his best friend. My fashion sense certainly got him flustered, but I loved that about him.

"Shall we all get some breakfast to give us a good start to the second day of the tournament? If my memory serves me well, isn't it the most important meal of the day?" Rufus asked while smiling calmly and walking out of the room, tipping his hat a bit.

"Hold on, though! Don't we have to wait for Minerva to finish showering? Wouldn't it be wrong to just head out without her?" I asked out of curiosity, but really having the thoughts of wanting to leave her behind.

Sting spoke for Rufus, as he took my left hand in his and smiled confidently, "Don't worry your pretty little head about Minerva, Serena. Knowing her, she'll immediately catch up with us and be ready to beat down all of our other opponents. She's never been tardy with anything, even when drinking a simple cup of tea, so I'm sure she'll teleport in front of us or something."

As Sting left the room with the others, I quickly spotted something on the small lamp table near Minerva's bed. It wasn't a lamp, but it was a large chocolate cupcake in a brown box. Was this the dessert that she had been saving for me, as my reward for winning in 'Hidden' yesterday? Well, it certainly smelled okay. It's not like she had poisoned the cupcake, right? Besides, maybe I was right about her having a nice side. With a cheerful smile on my face, I took a bite out of the cupcake while leaving the bedroom to join the other members of Team Sabertooth.

* * *

**10 minutes later... (Sting's POV)**

While Rogue had taken Frosch, Lector, Froakie, Chespin, Fennekin, and Flabébé to Sabertooth's booth with him, I spent my time walking to the Domus Flau with Lucy. She had done a superb job yesterday, but I had something to tell her. This day, the 2nd day of the Grand Magic Games, was the day where I wanted to make up for my forfeit to Natsu and Gajeel in the Chariot event.

I had even cost Sabertooth first place last year by surrendering to Fairy Tail, and I just couldn't really get psyched from all those memories flooding back to me. I wanted to make things right with my guild, since I hadn't exactly been getting the recognition that a powerful dragon slayer like me deserved, and I had to tell this to Lucy. It might disappoint her a bit, but I'll do my best to impress her.

"I understand that you want to be the one who ends up besting Natsu at some point during this tournament, but please hear me out. Lucy, I want to compete today to make up for my forfeit to Natsu and Gajeel last year in the Chariot event. I even messed up with the tag battle, and the final day wasn't exactly the best day for Sabertooth. If Natsu's one of my opponents in today's event, I'll beat down him with everything I have." I explained to her, looking a bit more nervous than confident.

She gasped a little bit from hearing what I had to say, but she understood my reasons for wanting to compete today. It was just like last year when Lucy competed in the Naval Battle to make up for her loss against Flare Corona last year, even though she was grievously injured by Minerva and nearly lost her life. Still, her look of doubt began to turn into a smile of approval as she thought about it and nodded in agreement with my words. I had been rooting for her yesterday, and now it would be her turn to be the lovely cheerleader in the stands for me.

"Sting, don't look so doubtful! I know that you had your losses, but that was the past! For some things, you have to face forward with all your strength and courage! It's just like when you comforted me after my loss to Furea at Reversal Mountain, you know? You really cheered me up back then, and now I'll cheer you up! Don't worry about anything, Sting! Go for it, with all your heart!" She replied in a confident tone, looking cheerful with the intention to lift my spirits.

After hearing her encouraging speech, I gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek while smiling with optimism. There was no way that I could let her down, knowing that she had faith in me, and she would never let me down. For good balance in our relationship, the love had to be reciprocal. She had always believed in me, and I had to believe in myself as well. Besides, I had a score to settle with Natsu. Nobody tries to talk bad to my girlfriend, even if she did tell him off to shut his big mouth.

* * *

**20 minutes later, at the Domus Flau... (Lisanna's POV)**

Chapati exclaimed while looking excited about the upcoming action today, "Welcome to the second day of the Grand Magic Games, everybody! Yesterday, Sabertooth came from the heavens and shined like the stars to take first place and Fairy Tail isn't too far behind! Will these two guilds have a third rival, and what excitement will we see today?"

"Sabertooth was certainly impressive on the first day, I'll say that. They could make a big comeback this year." Yajima commented in a calm tone while folding his arms.

"It's good to be here in Fiore, the wizard land with all the cute girls! Let's begin the tournament already! The suspense is driving me nuts! The name's Barry Pearl, the guest judge for today, and I'll fine you all 10 million jewels if you take forever to have super cool battles!" A blonde-haired boy exclaimed in an impatient tone, looking hyped up to see the event & battles.

The crowd began to cheer wildly, knowing that today's event and battles would probably be exciting and thrilling to watch, and I certainly hoped that Natsu wouldn't be competing in an event that would make him get motion sickness. He had been psyched up to avenge Gray's loss, after seeing Serena's power, but that girl's skill level was abnormal. I had never seen such unorthodox spells like hers, and who knows what else she had up her sleeve?

On the way here, I tried my best to avoid Team Flare. Those girls all looked tough, probably strong enough to even beat Mira-nee-chan, and they certainly made me nervous. On top of that, Serena had no right to tell off Natsu like she did yesterday. Something about her was a bit strange, but I couldn't put my finger on it. As for Lucy, Levy had drawn out a map to where she could possibly be now. Would she be watching the tournament?

Chapati announced that the event for the second day was going to be known as "Pokéathlon", making me extremely curious about it. According to his description of the event, the contestants would have to select one of the magical creatures that appeared in this world and ride it all the way here to the Domus Flau. Any kind of magic was allowed, but falling off the creature or having it faint would mean being eliminated from the event.

The fact that this event involved riding, with Natsu stubbornly doing it, had me really worried. Would he see a Magikarp as a mode of transportation, and could he even choose the fastest creature? Even though I was on the other Fairy Tail team, I had to root for Wendy and Natsu. We were all in the same guild, and we were all going to make Fairy Tail again. Maybe that would make useless Lucy come crawling back like the slime she was, letting me torture her some more.

Natsu shouted angrily, looking hotheaded at the first person who jumped down from their booth to participate, "There's Sting, guys! I'm gonna incinerate that bastard today for letting his girlfriend talk bad to me like that! I'll kick her ass as well, even if she is a girl!"

"You can do it, honey!" I cheered happily to Natsu while smiling, ignoring the fact that Wendy just volunteered for this event.

Team Lamia Scale had selected Yuka to participate, since he could manipulate Wave Magic to seal other people's magic, and Team Blue Pegasus selected Jenny Realight. Team Flare had chosen that woman named Bryony to race for them, and she had a Poké Ball in her left hand! Wasn't that cheating? I thought it was, but I guess not. Team Mermaid Heel let Risley participate, leaving Team Quatro Cerberus to have Bacchus participate in this event.

There were Lacrima Vision screens appearing in midair, showing all of us what would be happening in this event, and they displayed creatures that seemed to be native to Fiore and native to the Hoenn Region. The participants were at the entrance of Crocus, looking at all the creatures they could choose from for the race, and I smirked confidently at the sight of Natsu choosing a Charizard. Unfortunately, he ate the flame on its tail while choosing a Zangoose because it reminded him of Happy with its cat-like appearance.

Sting had chosen a Greninja, something that appeared to be really quick, and a Seviper had playfully wrapped its tail around Wendy. She shuddered a bit from seeing its enormous fangs, backing away a bit. Yuka had chosen a Flygon, something that sounded fast as well, and Jenny had picked a Delcatty since it looked really beautiful to her. Bacchus had picked a Vigoroth, Risley had picked a Sylveon, and Bryony smirked evilly while sending out a Raichu from its Poké Ball. I swear, Team Flare really was underhanded.

* * *

**In the race... (Sting's POV)**

Sorry to get a major head start on this, but I have a girlfriend who's waiting to give me a victory kiss! Greninja, use Quick Attack to get some speed and jump!" I shouted arrogantly, hanging on to Greninja while looking surprised at its Quick Attack getting me distant from the others. I commanded it to jump high into the air, but we found ourselves having to dodge a Fire Blast.

Natsu yelled harshly to me while glaring at me, as he rode on Zangoose's back, "I'm going to burn you down, you bastard! You and your stupid girlfriend can go be losers together!"

I decided to demonstrate some new moves, since Mermaid Heel and Quatro Puppy took the lead while Natsu distracted me, and I used a new attack known as White Dragon's Twister. This attack made me unleash a white beam of energy from my mouth, but it had gone in a curved trajectory to strike Bacchus. Him and Vigoroth were sent flying, disqualifying him since he let go of it, and I used this opportunity to push Risley off of that struggling Sylveon. With two people down, making Natsu get his karma would be much easier.

Suddenly, the little sky dragon girl's Seviper bit Natsu's Zangoose hard on its left foot! Its fangs were purple, using a poison of some kind, and Seviper's poisonous tail managed to knock Jenny and Yuka down to the ground with a harsh slam. Natsu and Wendy really didn't know that Seviper and Zangoose were rivals by nature, giving those two a bit of a problem.

I noticed that Bryony from Team Flare wasn't even catching up to us at all, and she just giggled a bit while getting off of Raichu. That made her claim fourth place, but why would Team Flare just take a dive like that? Were they trying to mock me for my performance in last year's Chariot event? If that was the case, I now had yet another reason to win this thing.

"It's good that you're not going to get first place, Salamander, since you don't deserve it! I heard all about how you cheated on that nice girl named Lucy Heartfilia, and you're nothing but sick for trying to hunt her down! I can't believe that you'd even try to search far and wide for her like your little team was concerned for her wellbeing, which is one of the worst things that hypocrites like you can ever do!" I exclaimed fiercely to him, angry that he referred to Lucy a.k.a. Serena as 'stupid'.

"How in the world do you know about that, you damn smug jerk?! Did Lucy stop by your town and tell you?! She has no right to make me look like an asshole, and I'll beat her into the ground for that! All she's good at is being weak, quivering in fear like a frightened mouse, and she is just garbage to me! In fact, I don't even care if that slut is watching this right now! Lucy, go dance on poles for men!" He angrily exclaimed before having a heckling grin, laughing at his own insults like the dense idiot that he was.

At that moment, I really wanted to beat the crap out of him for saying such derogatory things about my girlfriend. While hanging on to Greninja with my left hand, I prepared to use Holy Nova with my right hand to put Natsu in his place. However, before I could even charge up the move, Wendy surprisingly commanded Seviper to use Venoshock on Natsu!

It unleashed purple liquid from its mouth, drenching Natsu in poison, and some of it his Zangoose's body. By this point, it looked pretty agitated and Zangoose turned around to use Crush Claw on Seviper. The Fang Snake creature dodged it with its flexible body, throwing Wendy on to Greninja's head to settle its feud with its rival, and Zangoose threw Natsu into a water fountain because he kept yelling about turning around to finish the race.

"Why did you help me? Isn't he on your side?" I curiously asked Wendy, as Greninja jumped into the air with the Domus Flau within sight.

"Hey, Lucy's my friend. She's been there for me many times, and Natsu's been acting like a real jerk when he mentions her." Wendy replied with an annoyed look, as she looked back to see Natsu getting mauled by Seviper and Zangoose when he tried fighting them both.

With the Domus Flau near me, Wendy got off of Greninja to take 2nd place and I ran across the finish line to claim victory in this event. I had definitely made up for one of last year's mistakes, and I secretly hoped that Lucy was not going to get too cocky like Yukino did when she fought Kagura. Sabertooth now claimed 10 more points, giving us 30 in total, and I proudly smirked with my blue eyes gazing up at the woman I adored while quickly running and jumping back up to Sabertooth's booth to meet her.

"Sting, that was really amazing! I mean, you looked totally great out there! Thanks so much for defending our love from Natsu, too!" Serena told me with a joyful smile on her face, wrapping her arms around my neck before she passionately kissed my lips to congratulate me.

"You're welcome, my beautiful babe. Thanks for the confidence boost, too. After all, you bring out the best in me. I hope to be your inspiration someday, especially if that involves copying my Holy Nova or Holy Ray." I responded flirtatiously, getting some of her beautiful black hairs out of her violet eyes.

Now that the event was over, I was looking forward to seeing Serena battle for Sabertooth. After all, she had even said there was a feeling that she would be battling today. This would be the perfect chance for her to really show off her skills, but using a Dusk Stone during the daytime was kind of asking for trouble. She held it in her hands, and I hoped she knew what she was doing. Since the battle pairings were random, would she even get picked today?

* * *

**10 minutes later... (Lucy's POV)**

"All right, people! Let's start the battles now, and I hope they give us all that wild thrill! Quit the waiting around! I want that first match to begin right now, or the sponsors will be fined 100 million jewels!" Barry exclaimed while looking impatient, grinning with the anticipation of seeing some good battles.

"Hey, I'm the main announcer here! Anyway, let's move on to the battles of day two! Who will give us the chills of awesomeness, and who will sadly be losers? Let's find out!" Chapati told Barry, trying to be more thrilled while keeping his brown wig on.

The first battle was Chelia Blendy from Lamia Scale versus Nichiya from Blue Pegasus, and Chelia happily smiled while using Sky God's Boreas to create a spiral of black winds around her left hand. She unleashed a large black whirlwind from that hand as well, striking Nichiya with adequate force and knocking him out in the process. Chelia won the match, earning ten more points for her team.

The next battle was Bryony from Team Flare up against Beth Vanderwood from Team Mermaid Heel. Bryony unleashed a spiraling sphere of emerald green energy from her hand, calling it Hurricane Wind Spiral, and the attack quickly struck Beth head-on while creating a green explosion. The green smoke quickly cleared up to reveal that Beth was trapped in a green sphere of some kind, and the winds sent her flying high out of the arena. Bryony won the match, earning ten more points for Team Flare.

Barry announced while looking extremely thrilled for this next battle, as he had the small white piece of paper in his hand with the list of matches on it, "This next battle is a total thrill, everybody! It might get intense, especially since I once saw her take out Jupiter from Team Galactic with ease! It's Bacchus from Team Quatro Cerberus versus Serena Fennekin from Team Sabertooth!"

At that moment, my violet eyes widened in amazement from this match-up. I had to take on the powerful guy who had fought Erza several times, but never came to a decisive conclusion with him? The same guy who managed to give Elfman a tough fight last year with his unorthodox movements? I looked somewhat nervous, my stomach growling badly like I had to go to the bathroom, so was the anxiety getting to me?

However, I absolutely couldn't be backing down now. Sting needed me to win for the guild, and I was going to show Natsu and Minerva that they were both wrong to look down on me. This match would be great, and there was no way that I was going to lose. My stomach kept churning, almost like something I had eaten was being like a laxative, but I had to hold it in. I jumped down from Sabertooth's booth, hearing the cheers of the crowd, ready to beat Bacchus to a pulp.

As I locked eyes with my opponent, I could see Natsu and Lisanna making nasty faces at me while Cana and Wendy cheered me on. I still clutched my stomach in pain, feeling it painfully ache, but I couldn't let the pain get to me. Right now, winning was my number one priority. I had to impress Sting and show Minerva that a true expert didn't just use one move to win a battle.

"All right, let's make this battle worth fighting. Last year, every match had a bet on the second day. If I win against a famous and sexy woman like you, then you must sleep with me tonight. If you win, then you get anything you want. There's really no chance of you winning, though, and I will be happy to take that nice body of yours as a wonderful prize." Bacchus told me while looking flirtatious, grinning with lustful intentions.

At that moment, I felt even more disgusted than how the cupcake was affecting me. He had such perverted intentions like a hound dog, and even Minerva looked appalled by his words. The only guy that I loved was Sting, and no one was going to keep us apart. This battle would definitely show me if I had truly changed, and Erza stared down at me and Bacchus to see how this battle would turn out.

"Time for my first fusion spell from the Dusk Stone, and it's called Moonlight Trick!" I shouted fiercely, having a determined facial expression while a purple ball of energy formed in between my hands with small purple crescent moons coming off of it.

I threw it at Bacchus, but he simply struck it five times with his Palm Magic while running past my attack. Moonlight Trick created a purple blast of energy in midair, making five purple crescent-shaped projectiles float high in the sky, but that was for the second spell. I tried to get ready to guard, but the rumbling of my stomach kept interfering with my movements. Bacchus struck me five times with his Palm Magic, sending me flying backwards into a wall with some force in his palms.

That really hurt, and I clutched my left arm in pain while pointing up at my projectiles with my right hand. They came flying towards Bacchus, moving irregularly to confuse him, but he kept moving in such a drunk way to evade my attacks. They created five purple explosions on the sandy battlefield, yet not one of them hit Bacchus. He was good at dodging my attacks, and that laxative cupcake kept tempting me to let out the gas.

While Bacchus managed to brutally strike me six more times, sending me rolling across the ground and crashing into the wall, I growled angrily while looking up at Minerva. That was a laxative cupcake she had given me, most likely to humiliate me by hoping I would toot like a trumpet in front of everybody, and I just wished that I could turn this toxicity into energy.

Suddenly, a small smirk formed on my face from that recent thought. If I couldn't let the poison out by making my dreadful flatulence be heard, what if I let it travel out through my spells? I began to be upside down on my head, feeling some liquid from stomach travel through my esophagus, and I put the Dusk Stone in my mouth. I swished the poison around, and I quickly took out the Dusk Stone while spitting out all the amethyst purple saliva to see it was now violet and amethyst purple. This surprised everyone, even though I was still panting heavily while being on my hands and knees, and my stomach started to feel better.

"Ok, then. Now I'm ready to really get this battle started! If Moonlight Trick and Crescent Moon Knives won't work, let's try a brand new spell! Hey, Bacchus! I hope you're ready for this new attack, and I call it Toxic Revenge!" I shouted confidently, smirking at him while looking up at Minerva to remember that I had to thank her later on for that cupcake.

Quickly imagining the effects of this spell from what was now the Moonlight Venom Stone, I quickly jumped high into the air while spitting out purple blobs of unsanitary poison on to the ground. They landed all around Bacchus, mostly on his legs, and the sticky blobs quickly solidified to restrict his movements. The ones that missed him had created amethyst purple blasts of energy, engendering toxic purple smoke that I quickly inhaled for more magical power.

That led right into the fourth spell, Smog Destruction. This move caused me to unleash purple clouds of smoke from my mouth, floating down towards Bacchus, and they quickly detonated to make more purple blasts of energy appear. They struck Bacchus head-on, sending him slamming backwards into a nearby wall, but I wasn't done yet. As I landed down on the ground, the rubble from the wall I was slammed against had given me a good idea.

Picking up a chunk of the broken wall with a serious facial expression, I activated the fifth fusion spell that was known as Acidic Ace. This spell made me puke up more of that purple gunk from my mouth, having acidic properties that ate through the rubble, and the small puddles of sludge that landed around me turned into spiraling purple drills that headed straight for Bacchus.

"What the hell?! I've never seen spells like this before!" He exclaimed in amazement like the rest of the crowd, before the drills created many miniature purple explosions when they made even the slightest amount of contact with him. No matter how irregular his movements were, my spells could be way more abnormal. I definitely couldn't lose here, especially with Sting watching.

"If you haven't seen anything like this, then this next move will certainly surprise you! There may be light above us, but darkness exists underground! The sixth fusion spell, Violet Negativity, I require your assistance!" I responded with ambition in my narrowed violet eyes, looking fierce while an amethyst purple aura spiraled around my body before engulfing me in its power.

The blood from my injuries began to fade away, my wounds healing rapidly, and now I felt perfectly fine. The sky turned from being blue to a lavender shade of purple for a moment, and all of the poisonous grime left over from my attacks had seeped underground. It reappeared from underneath the feet of Bacchus in the form of a purple aura shaped like a venomous Seviper, biting him with its powerful fangs. He began to have a purple mark on his arm, spreading like there was a virus inside of him, and now he was poisoned while losing the ability to move as an added bonus for me.

"All right, Serena! That's six spells down, and only one more fusion spell to go! Keep it up! Put everything you have into this final shot, and get moving!" Sting told me with an encouraging look on his face, cheering loudly with Lector, Frosch, Froakie, Chespin, Fennekin, and Flabébé.

With more motivation from Sting, along with now having the perfect moment to strike, my eyes were now filled with determination and happiness. They had fused together, like my final spell that was the beginning and would be the end of this battle. I fired an amethyst purple sphere of Poison Magic into the air, and my Darkness Magic was now stronger because of Violet Negativity. Quickly unleashing Moonlight Trick to supposedly collide with the ball known as Toxic Grenade, everyone looked like they wondered what I was thinking from my own spells striking each other.

However, I made Moonlight Trick go high in the air past Toxic Grenade. It quickly came down, gaining speed and power on its descent, and Moonlight Trick made a devastating explosion that made immense gravity come down on the entire sandy battlefield! Bacchus looked totally freaked out while we were broth propelled upward into the air with levitating as Moonlight Trick's side effect, and I grabbed the amethyst purple sphere known as Toxic Grenade.

"You better hope that you can pay up, Bacchus! After I win, your wallet will be mine for Sabertooth's shopping spree! That was my first fusion spell's payback, and here's my final spell's ferocity!" I confidently told him while deviously smirking, canceling out Moonlight Trick's levitation around him to make Bacchus come crashing down to the ground like a meteorite, and I threw the Toxic Grenade attack down on him with tremendous while floating in midair.

When the attack struck him directly, combined with his harsh impact into the ground, Bacchus screamed in agonizing pain. The massive amethyst purple blast blinded the eyes of all the people in the audience, the competing mages, and the judges. The Lacrima Vision monitors were knocked out from the waves of the explosive blast, and everyone could hear the ground breaking apart into pieces.

I didn't realize that using Poisonous Lunar Payback would cause me to lose my levitation in the air, but I safely landed on the battlefield. Well, I landed on the pillar that was in the center of what used to be the battlefield, since it was now a gaping hole that led to underground where Bacchus had presumably fallen. I wiped some dust off of my black skirt, smiling a bit at my great victory.

The mages from Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Team Flare, Mermaid Heel, and Quatro Cerberus all looked shocked at the immense power that I had displayed in my match against Bacchus. The judges and the audience all had their jaws dropped as well, and I blushed a light shade of pink while guessing that no one was expecting so much power to come from me.

Then, I smiled a bit to hear a pair of hands applauding me for how great I was in the battle. I looked over to Sabertooth's booth to see Sting smiling proudly while clapping for me, nudging Rufus and Orga to follow suit. They began to clap as well, and my group of little fan girls also applauded with happy smiles. The other guilds showed good sportsmanship as well by giving me a round of applause and cheers, prompting the audience to do the same.

People were cheering my name, incredibly happy that I had won, and all that I could really do was smile and giggle while waving to them. I had now won my first battle in the Grand Magic Games, and even Erza was applauding me for defeating her unorthodox rival. Minerva decided to give me a tiny applause while turning her head away from me in a snobby way, but I never would've received Poison Magic without her help.

"That was just... Wow! Totally awesome! That was an incredible battle of being unorthodox, and Serena Fennekin wins! She wins, everybody! She's that cool to have such beauty and a dark side with toxicity lurking! That last spell had me hanging on the edge of this booth, and she is as great as they say! 10 points for the heavenly and mysterious Serena, everybody! Sabertooth has 40 points now, thanks to her!" Barry exclaimed while excitedly running around in the booth with his microphone, since Chapati was still in shock from what he had seen.

"To make an elemental stone have a new type of magic, and learning the spells so quickly while also balancing both elements with great control of her magical power... That's quite the high level of skill with a good bond between her and the Dusk Stone." Yajima commented with an impressed smile, never having seen anything like that in a mage that wasn't in the S-Class category.

I jumped high off the pillar, landing directly in Sabertooth's booth, and Sting immediately gave me a passionate kiss on the lips. I happily returned the kiss, knowing that we had both done great today, and we would keep this streak of greatness going. I broke the kiss while blushing, looking into his eyes, and we even did have the chemistry to communicate by eye contact for stealth missions.

"Froakie Fro!" Froakie happily told me, as it kept applauding for me.

"Froakie is right, Serena-chan! You pretty much took out Bacchus like Sting-kun would, only with many awesome attacks instead of one!" Lector added while smiling, flying on to my pink hat.

"Sting, we are going to have a lot of fun with that wallet from Bacchus. The poison wears off quickly, so he's not in danger." I told him while giggling cheerfully, resting my head against his chest while also sticking my tongue out at Minerva.

He responded while rubbing some dust off of my right cheek, smirking down at me, "You and I make the perfect team, Serena. We both like to show off, and you thrill me with one surprise after another. The excitement with you just never stops, and I hope it never does."

* * *

**Concurrently... (Natsu's POV)**

Seriously, why the hell is Fairy Tail cheering for Sabertooth? That Serena chick was not cool at all! She's powerful, but so what? She's in the same guild as that damn Sting, and she's the enemy! Me and Lisanna were laughing about her stomach problem, and she used it to her advantage? Man, she's not normal! Something is up with that chick, and I hate her!

"Stop with the cheering! She's in Sabertooth, Gajeel! She's not that good! If it was me out there, that big explosion could've been done as well! I am just as powerful as that stupid Serena!" I told him with a pissed off facial expression, angry at the fact that the audience was still clapping.

"Salamander, she told you off and you don't have THAT kind of power. I'd like to fight a tough opponent in the league she's in. Too bad you're way below that level." Gajeel replied while giving me a berating look, probably thinking Serena could beat me to a bloody pulp if she felt like it.

Laxus told me while smirking confidently, "Natsu, I can't believe that you're jealous of a girl. I heard she can use lightning that can even rival the attacks of Electivire, Raichu, Luxray, and Ampharos combined. You really should take note that her attacks and tricks were balanced and timed flawlessly, and that's not a very easy thing to master."

I didn't even want to know what Erza and Gray would say, but I looked angry to see Cana and Wendy rooting for Serena the whole time. Those stupid traitors! They were aiding the enemy, but I'm sure they would've cheered at the sight of me beating the crap out of Serena. That would be fun, making her and Sting pay for talking so much trash to me.

As for Lucy, how could that weaseling bitch have the nerve to tell them how I cheated on her with Lisanna? She was that miserable because of me? When I find her, I'll make her wounds burn for being a prissy little snitch! We should've checked the far-off places first, instead of initially checking nearby for that weak slut. I'll punch her hard in the face for not taking a breakup quietly.

On top of that, the goddamn battlefield was way too damaged for our two Fairy Tail teams to have our battle. Instead, that twitchy and impatient guest judge gave 10 points to both of our teams. That was so not cool, and he announced that the match would've had Erza against Mira. I would've loved to see that, but Serena just had to obliterate the field with her final attack.

* * *

**Later that night... (Minerva's POV)**

Team Sabertooth went out to eat at a restaurant to celebrate their four straight victories in a row, and they decided to share a large stack of cheeseburgers with tons of fries and Coca-Cola on the side. Bacchus bought this expensive meal because he agreed to the bet, after he regained consciousness 20 minutes later to see me and the rest of our team standing in front of him to remind him of the bet when he left the arena with his team.

When we went into a fashion store, all the girls wanted Serena's beauty secrets. When we entered a bakery, the owners wanted to know what berries she used in her cookies. If having Sting's attention wasn't enough, did she have to have so many fans liking her? She was not strong at all! That battle today resulted in her winning because her opponent was from Quatro Cerberus, that's all.

Just because she wins two battles in a flashy way, the crowd acted like she won the whole competition. "Nobody will ever forget your great feats, Miss Serena." Rufus says nicely. "You're so powerful like me, making Heavenly and Darkness chili out of your opponents." Orga tells her with admiring eyes. What is with those two? Before she came along, the applause was for me and me alone!

"Hey, Minerva. I need to say something." Serena said in a kind manner, smiling while we walked to the arcade in Crocus because Sting wanted to go there.

"What, Serena?! What the hell do you want?!" I angrily snapped at her, not enjoying her niceness in the slightest while my green eyes showed my fury towards her.

She responded nicely, probably putting on an act to gain my trust, "I just wanted to thank you for giving me that laxative cupcake. It made me quite gassy, but still. You helped me beat Bacchus today when the Dusk Stone's powers wouldn't work in the daytime. Thanks to that poisonous laxative cupcake you sent me, I kicked his butt. Basically, I couldn't have won without your unexpected assistance."

What is she trying to pull here? That cupcake plan backfired, that's all. It was a pure mistake for the Poison Magic to transpire! I was going to get this rookie humiliated, even if I had to steal all her clothes while she was taking a bath. The fact that she's thanking me is just her trying to give me a bit of credit, trying to sway me into being her friend. Well, it won't work. Next time she's in a hot spring, I will drown her without showing the slightest bit of mercy.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Furea's POV)**

Me and the rest of Team Flare had decided to really have a motive in this little tournament, courtesy of our boss. I was currently at the Domus Flau, under the dark of the night, searching for DNA in Sabertooth's booth. Serena was my rival, but I doubted that we'd ever face off in this tournament. Her skills were getting really good, a fierce fire in her eyes, and I liked that in an opponent.

That chick was seriously strong, probably just as good as me now, but did she really have what was needed for Team Flare's plan to come to fruition? She wouldn't join us, knowing how we extracted the power of Juvia Lockser to turn her temporarily evil, and the magical power that we needed from the stones had to be great enough to unlock the treasure that would change the world.

"Electra to Furea. I repeat, Electra to Furea." She calmly said with a smirk on her face while speaking into our 6-way earring communicators, as she we checked all the booths for the DNA of powerful mages to begin the start of the extraction process.

"Yes, what could it possibly be?" I asked while looking extremely miffed, having found nothing.

"The new admin has been keeping good watch on Serena Fennekin, everywhere she goes, and she may be the hero who eventually stops the grand plan for world domination. However, Fairy Tail is full of good pawns. She foresees it." Electra explained with laughing evilly, having some kind of scheme.

Honestly, what could Vivian really foreshadow? She's just a recent rookie, so what could she possibly know? However, her tales of wisdom would serve us very well when finding the treasure that put the world in our hands...

* * *

**How was Chapter 21? Kind of long and filled with drama, huh? Lucy and Minerva still have a conflict going, and you saw it get worse. Sting is really mad at Natsu for all the things he said about Lucy. What will happen on day three when things smell nice in the event? Will Lucy and Erza have a bigger feud? Will Sting win his match, but also be chastised by Rogue when he reveals something? Does Lucy protect Wendy from Natsu? Standby for the update! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

We had all gotten up early, mainly by the orders of Minerva, and she wanted us all to do some training at sunrise. She had informed us that four straight wins was nothing to really celebrate over, and she had also told us that we couldn't afford to get careless because of two perfect days. Fairy Tail would probably be trying to strike back hard at us, knowing our guilds were rivals, and we were stealing their glory.

Whether they were taking the first two days seriously or not, we all knew that Fairy Tail would be awaited the unavoidable fated battle with Sabertooth. I didn't plan on losing to a jerk like Natsu, and I was going to take him down with everything that I had. Even though Minerva had sometimes thought that using seven fusion spells was considered overkill, I actually saw it as a way of truly enjoying the battle.

I was still disguised as Serena Fennekin, wearing a simple dark green T-shirt that left my stomach exposed while also wearing some Daisy Dukes. They made my rear look slightly larger, but I didn't mind looking a little bit curvier in the back. I finished my outfit for the day with some emerald green flat shoes that looked absolutely beautiful, too. I also put on some pink lipstick, knowing Sting enjoyed my kisses.

Sting and I were having breakfast in a bakery with Lector and Froakie, all of us enjoying glazed chocolate donut holes to give us a sugary boost for the third day. My battle with Bacchus was really great, and it really made me look forward to seeing Sting's upcoming battle. Would he be chosen today, anyway? I had really hoped so, since he kept bragging about his new arsenal of moves.

"Hey, Lucy. I like your battling style, but be sure to change up your fusion spells sometimes. After all, even though you're being incredibly impressive, the other teams are taking note of what you can do. They'll be looking for weak spots in your moves, so changing up your spells will really knock them off of their feet. I also hope you have an upgraded version of Flare Blitz." Sting told me with a stern look on his face, his eyes telling me that the fairies were certainly taking in every detail of my moves.

I did have to use a different type of magic today, and I was going to use the Fire Stone in case Natsu tried participating in the event again today. I would strike him down with my flames, since they weren't the type of flames that him or that Zancrow guy could probably eat. Besides, when I confidently looked in the stone case, the red Fire Stone was pulsating with energy. Was it trying to tell me to use it today?

"I'll definitely remember your advice, Sting! You always have the most useful things to tell me, and that's one of the things that makes me love you! Fairy Tail won't even get a chance to counter my attacks, since they'll all go down in one fell swoop! After hearing what Natsu said about me yesterday, he's really going to get it. Seriously, he is just asking for trouble with me." I responded with a look of confidence, kissing Sting's cheek while my violet eyes were twinkling with the feeling of beating down that jerk Natsu.

Before we could even continue, however, an upward beam of flames rising from the woods around Crocus had certainly made all of us widen our eyes in shock. What in the world was that? It didn't make the noise of an explosion or look like a blast, so it had all of us very curious. Sting and I both decided to check out what was happening in the woods, since it could be Team Flare doing something malicious.

As we ran out of the bakery, seeing some trees catch fire while smoke appeared, Lector and Froakie quickly followed us for assistance in case it really was Furea doing something wicked to some Grass-type and Bug-type creatures. Was she training early in the morning as well? I couldn't wait to beat her down as well, and I would put an end to Team Flare's villainous ways.

* * *

**In the woods... (Wendy's POV)**

I panted heavily, looking completely bruised and beaten while standing in front of the four members of Team Natsu, and Natsu himself was very angry with me for helping Sting win the race yesterday. I had tried reasoning with him, telling him that it was all his fault for badmouthing Lucy. I knew she was getting stronger, and his arrogance was really getting on the nerves of me and Cana.

"Stand up, Wendy! We're not through with you yet, traitor! You helped the enemy guild get first place, and you completely threw the challenge! That is beyond unacceptable, and you will be punished for doing something so wicked!" Erza sternly told me, her brown eyes shooting a death glare at me while requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor with two swords in her hands.

Gray looked a bit hesitant to follow Erza's orders, despite making a chilling icy aura surround his left hand, and Lisanna was already in her Animal Soul: Tigress Take-Over. Would I now become frozen and slashed brutally for simply wanting to help someone who Team Natsu deemed as completely useless to them? In my opinion, Lucy could probably take them all on at once in the survival tournament and win.

Trying my best to stand up, I unleashed a Sky Dragon's Roar at Erza when she tried charging at me with her flight capabilities. She was moving pretty fast, trying to strike me with her swords, and she delivered a kick to my chest that made me cough up some blood when it made contact. I fell to my knees, groaning in pain while tears fell from my eyes, and then I fell the ground with a saddened facial expression.

"We're not even 10% done with you, Wendy! Get up, or I'll wake you up with a Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu angrily shouted at me, flames engulfing his fists while he released a stream of fire from his mouth. I could feel the heat coming towards me, unable to move because of the pain, and I seriously thought that I would become burnt to a crisp in a matter of seconds.

However, much to my shock, an explosion was heard before the attack even touched me. I slowly opened my eyes to see Lucy a.k.a. Serena standing in front of the attack with a red aura surrounding her body. It had helped her absorb Natsu's flames into her hands, and my brown eyes took notice of Sting Eucliffe standing on the burnt ground with her. Why were they here?

"All right, you jerks! What the hell is going on here?! Why are you abusing this child?!" Lucy angrily asked them, the red aura intensifying while she stood in front of me.

"You're in Sabertooth, it's not your matter to be concerned about. Wendy simply betrayed Fairy Tail by having the nerve to turn against Natsu in the event yesterday, and this is the consequence for her actions." Erza explained calmly, glaring at Serena even though Gray was stepping back because of the immensity of my savior's power.

Lucy responded harshly, probably ready to beat down Natsu and Erza, "Oh, really?! You guys are just a bunch of hypocrites, you know that?! Lucy Heartfilia told me all about how you guys shunned her, so you're in no position to call that little girl a traitor! All she did was stick up for someone that she cared about, and that's not wrong at all! Unlike you, Natsu Dragneel, she didn't talk so ill of someone like you did! I'm taking Wendy to get healed by me, understand?!"

I could feel myself being picked up, carried in Lucy's arms, and the members of Team Natsu stared her down and did nothing more. I was glad that Gray hadn't attacked, since he had always told me rumors about Serena's power. Plus, her spells really were highly abnormal. If Natsu and Erza kept pushing her to being really furious with them, who knows what would've happened? I feel my consciousness slipping, exhausted from the abuse of Team Natsu, and I quickly blacked out.

* * *

**Three hours later... (Minerva's POV)**

My left foot tapped impatiently, waiting in Sabertooth's booth for Sting and Serena to arrive here. The Grand Magic Games were going to begin in ten minutes, so what could they possibly be doing that had taken so much time? I swear, if they had spent those three hours making out and being on a date instead of training, I was seriously going to bring pain down on both of them.

My green eyes were narrowed with somewhat of a scowl on my face, seeing Sting and Serena come running to a booth with that little girl from Fairy Tail, making me even more angered that they were bringing a fairy here. She could be wanting to expose all of our weaknesses to the guild, and I could assume that dimwitted Serena had been getting friendly with her.

"We made it, Minerva. Sorry that we didn't show up earlier, but I had to use the Cosmic Hearts spell to heal Wendy while also getting her belongings from Fairy Tail's inn and getting her a decent breakfast. Before you even say I'm a double-crosser, just know that Wendy was being abused by Team Natsu earlier today. I swear, those jerks have given me another reason to pummel them into dust." Serena explained with a serious look on her face, clenching her fists tightly.

I had never thought that Erza Scarlet could be so abusive to a member of her own guild, but Fairy Tail was a rowdy guild with no class or elegance whatsoever. That little blue-haired girl looked scared from remembering whatever they did to her, but she didn't look strong enough to be with Sabertooth. However, I kind of saw Serena's strategic move here. Get everyone mad at Team Natsu for the teams to destroy themselves from within? That was the easiest trick in the book, but it was also a clever and deceptive move for a nice girl like Serena to pull. Wow, I guess we had something in common when it came to strategizing sadistically.

"Welcome to the third day of the Grand Magic Games, ladies and gentlemen! I can tell that Sabertooth is really triumphant with toxicity, but the Fairy Tail teams aren't too far behind! Will they ever settle their rivalry, and can anyone topple down these rivaling guilds? We'll have to see what thrills us all today!" Chapati exclaimed with an excited facial expression, wanting to see some more fierce battles like Serena's little showdown against Bacchus yesterday.

"Let's see who can work well with their magic while putting on a remarkable performance." Yajima commented nicely with a calm smile.

"Hello, everyone! I am Fantina Hearthome, the Contest Master in Sinnoh, and I am the guest judge for the third day today! Montrez-moi la beauté et la grâce séduisante de vos mouvements, chéris!" A woman with purple hair announced in a delighted tone, blowing kisses to the crowd while she was smiling.

Speaking of performances, I still didn't care if Serena would do the event today. After all, her flashy moves in her battle yesterday were really all that she's got. Sting had taken out Bacchus with a single punch last year, but Serena had to use seven spells that made everyone else in the crowd stupidly gasp in awe like a bunch of surprised children.

"Hey, Serena. Don't think for a second that you're some heavenly goddess or the dark horse in this competition, since Bacchus was from that team of losers. If you had faced off against Jura or Kagura, you would've probably lost miserably. Besides, you're not exactly hot stuff. Even if you do the event today, it doesn't change a thing." I told her in a taunting manner with an evil smile on my lips, trying to really squash my little feelings of inferiority towards her.

Serena retorted while fierceness found its way into her violet eyes as determination to win gave more strength to her tightly clenched fists, as she looked full of ambition to win right now, "Don't you dare count me out yet, Minerva! I'm not afraid to take on anyone, especially those backstabbing bastards from the Fairy Tail guild! After the survival tournament, you won't be smiling when I make you cry!"

I slightly backed away from hearing such words of positivity come out of her mouth, and that driven look in her violet eyes actually frightened me more than anything that Erza Scarlet had ever done to me. Serena seemed to be really miffed with Fairy Tail, even before the incident with Wendy today, making me look a little eager to know what conflict she had with them.

Both of us folded our arms and turned away in opposite directions, displeased with each other as always, and I even overheard Rufus and Sting whispering about how unlucky our opponents would be if I was in the tag battle with Serena. If I was paired with her, she better not even try to steal the glory from me. I liked to end matches fast, but she would take her time with them. Maybe our opponents would hate that kind of shifting torture, though.

Everyone turned their attention to Chapati when he was announcing the event for the third day of the Grand Magic Games, making us all wonder what kind of event this would be. It was going to be a game known as "League Legend", sounding like something very challenging that nobody could really be exceptional a bit. This was my next chance for total attention.

However, upon hearing the rules of the event, my green eyes narrowed a bit from it not being that Serena couldn't handle. The contestants had the free right to choose the type field where they would participate, having to take on six fully evolved creatures at once like in the Sinnoh League, and whoever was the first to take out a full team at once would receive ten points for their team. Anyone who was knocked out would be eliminated, however.

Team Fairy Tail A chose Erza to represent them, knowing she had good instincts and a high level of skill. Her participation prompted that harmless pussy cat named Milliana to join in for Team Mermaid Heel, and Semmes volunteered for Team Quatro Cerebus. Team Fairy Tail B had selected Elfman. Toby decided to do this for Team Lamia Scale, most likely to make up for his loss on the first day, and Celosia was going to participate for Team Flare. Ren Akatsuki would try to win for Blue Pegasus, and Serena immediately jumped down from the booth for Team Sabertooth.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

I turned around and blushed cherry red with bliss from hearing Sting cheer my name once again, and he even blew a kiss to me. I caught it with my left hand, holding it near my heart to show how I could feel his love for me, and I turned away to join the other competitors. What kind of creatures would I be fighting in this event, and would they be extremely tough? Either way, seeing that Erza was participating, there was no way that I could lose.

Mato had asked one of us to come up to a golden podium that rose up from the ground, and I stepped up to it to find eighteen buttons to press. However, he informed me that I could only press one. With my violet eyes full of excitement while I smiled, I pressed the green button to presumably activate the type field that we'd all be playing on. It began to glow brightly, making the sandy battlefield turn into a grassy meadow with beautiful flowers springing up from the ground. The sunlight got brighter, shining down on us while six creatures were being magically created as well.

They were known as Venusaur, Meganium, Sceptile, Torterra, Serperior, and Chestnaught. These creatures were all Grass-types, four of them having a secondary type, and that went perfectly with the powers of my Fire Stone. One of my clones had gone to Aquacorde Town after Professor Sycamore's lab had been repaired, and the Pokédex had showed my clone how all these creatures looked. Judging by their sizes, they all appeared to respectively be at Levels 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66. Those were pretty high levels, and I definitely enjoyed challenges.

When the event began with the striking of a gong, Venusaur immediately looked fierce while using Frenzy Plant to make large brown plant roots emerge from underground to strike Nobarly from Quatro Cerberus, making him drop his jaw in shock while the force of the attack knocked him out. He was eliminated from the event, receiving zero points for his team.

Venusaur had to recharge after using a move like that, prompting me to use my first new fusion spell from the Fire Stone. This spell was known as Flared Fireworks, causing me to shoot a large spiraling beam of fire up into the air with my right hand. I proudly smiled when I saw my attack explode, resulting in multiple beams of fire coming down on Venusaur to make numerous fiery explosions occur. The seed creature was knocked out and burnt by the power of my fire, and it vanished from the field.

While I absorbed the newly created flames into my left hand, Milliana was trying to slash at Sceptile with her sharp claws. Sceptile swiftly dodged all of her attacks, sending her flying into the air with a simple combination of Leaf Blade and X-Scissor, and Milliana had now been out of the event. She earned one point for Team Mermaid Heel, leaving them in 7th place.

Even though Sceptile had its guard down, I directed my 2nd fusion spell at Meganium. This move was known as Ultra Flame, a much more upgraded and powerful version of Fire Cannon. After inhaling some air, I exhaled a massive fiery vortex of flames at the herb creature. It was consumed by the fiery vortex, which exploded in a large burst of flames, and Meganium had also been taken out from the field. I kept taking in all the fire, feeling myself continue to get stronger.

When I turned around, I covered my eyes at the sight of Sceptile taking out Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus with a Solar Beam attack. The light was so bright, having gotten that power from the shining sun above, and we could all hear Ren scream while he seemed to be sent up into the air like Milliana. That eliminated him from this game, giving 2 points to Team Blue Pegasus.

Now deciding that it was time to take out that forest creature for good, I unleashed my third fusion spell from the Fire Stone. This spell was known as Flame Spin, causing me to jump high into the air with sun behind me. A fiery red-orange aura surrounded my body, and I began to twist up my body while spinning down towards Sceptile like a fiery drill. As I descended towards the ground, my spell was gaining so much power and speed. I headed directly for Sceptile, but made a few sharp turns and curves to confuse it. When I struck it from behind, a fiery explosion transpired! The red and orange flames were looking beautiful while jumping around under the heat of the sun, perfect for the fourth fusion spell.

Toby Horhorta had managed to paralyze Torterra with the poisonous powder on his nails, quickly paralyzing Serperior and Chestnaught as well, before Erza had stabbed him in the back from behind with one of her swords. Toby fell to the ground, and he was taken out of the event. My fourth spell was known as Flare Minefield, and I secretly ordered my flames to surround Torterra. When the continental creature managed to take one step forward, the red and orange blasts of fire erupted from underground to knock it out while burning it as well.

My fifth spell was known as Lava Wave, and I activated it by slamming my palms down on to the ground. In an instant, a geyser of lava erupted from a hole in front of me before it resembled an ocean wave. The red-orange wave began to swamp the grassy battlefield, burning all the grass and flowers in the meadow, and its tremendous power knocked out Serperior. Celosia from Team Flare had left the battlefield right before my attack could hit her, and Chesnaught all the way back to Fairy Tail's booth before taking my attack head-on. It managed to endure Lava Wave, but looked badly burnt as a result.

Now standing on boiling hot lava, I looked ready to panic and scream in fear. However, Lava Wave's side effect was that the heat couldn't damage me in the slightest. I immediately used the sixth spell while the magic of the grassy field drained out my lava to be restored to its undamaged state, and I unleashed a large spiraling beam of red volcanic lava from my mouth. It struck Chestnaught head-on, effectively damaging it while knocking it out, and it vanished from the field.

Erza had evaded all my attacks by requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, glaring down at me, and one of us was going to win in this event. It was going to be me, and I couldn't let her and Team Natsu get away with hurting Wendy like that. They showed no remorse on their faces, hating her for helping Sabertooth, not even being sympathetic like the time they were all hunting for me.

"Why do you fight so hard for people like Lucy and Wendy?! Serena, Fairy Tail's business has nothing to do with you! Lucy may have come crawling to you back then with her sadness, but you need to stay out of matters that absolutely don't concern you!" Erza asked me with a harsh look, remembering what happened this morning, and speaking in such a brutal tone.

At that point, saying how that abuse of Wendy was not to be my concern, I pretty much lost it. That backstabbing bitch was being really hypocritical, saying how Fairy Tail had nothing to me and yet Team Natsu from that guild came to Sabertooth to fight me. Poor Wendy must've endured a lot of torture from Lisanna after I left Fairy Tail, and remembering how Natsu cheated on me with that bitch made me even angrier than before.

A red-orange aura surrounded my body while I was powering up for my finishing move, all of my anger amplifying inside me, and I clenched my teeth while growling angrily and staring down Erza. My power kept growing exponentially with every passing second, and I charged at Erza with extremely quick speeds. She tried creating seven swords to strike me, only to have me release a large beam of fire from my mouth to incinerate them. I absorbed the flames, feeling tremendous power, and I kept getting angrier when Erza charged straight at me.

She planned to end this by stabbing me, but I attempted struck her in the chest with my left palm! It had a spiraling ball of energy in it, since I sneakily made it for this move of payback, and this final fusion spell was called Fiery Rage of the Demon's Twin Maelstroms. When I fiercely slammed the sphere against Erza's chest, seeing my attack alternate between the colors of red and orange, a large maelstrom of red flames filled the sky! The maelstrom quickly turned orange, growing twice its size, and all the spectators were amazed. My attack resulted in a fiery explosion that blinded everyone's eyes for a few moments, having energy that would shatter a Magic Power Finder.

When all the smoke cleared up, I was panting heavily while Erza's Heaven's Wheel Armor had shattered into many pieces. We were both panting heavily while being on our knees, completely exhausted from the power and damage of my attacks, and Erza coughed up blood while falling backwards and losing consciousness. With her now defeated, I had won the event for Sabertooth to get ten more points.

"That was... an unexpectedly hot battle on a grassy field! I can't believe it, folks! Serena Fennekin has won 10 more points for Sabertooth! The heavens, darkness and toxicity, now fire... This triple-threat beauty is not messing around, folks! Fairy Tail was outstanding, but even the legendary Titania and Grass-type creatures from one of the top four finalists in the Sinnoh League could not beat Serena! She is in a great league, a class of her own!" Chapati announced while looking completely thrilled, not knowing the intense heat burned away his blond wig.

"How amazing. It's good to see that she has a good partnership with the Fire Stone as well, and it really worked with her emotions." Yajima commented nicely, smiling at the sight of me mastering three stones.

"A very wonderful display of flames, indeed! Serena, qui était tout simplement magnifique!" Fantina added with a confident smile, applauding while also giving me a standing ovation.

The audience roared wildly, and many of spectators were cheering my name like I was the queen of the entire competition. I blushed a light shade of pink when Sting and Lector cheered for me, and I playfully blew kisses to Sting before going back to Sabertooth's booth to receive well-deserved praise from him and to take a good rest from using all that power. I suddenly felt completely refilled with energy, as if one stone's power gave me energy when another one had ran out.

* * *

**10 minutes later... (Minerva's POV)**

By this point, my hands were tightly gripping the railing with enough force to brutally tear it off. Serena was able to not only take out Erza, but she could get that intense with her attacks as well? That really was impressive, but no way in hell could I ever admit that to her. That would be like stabbing my own pride, and I certainly couldn't do that.

Seriously, she could not be that strong. Was this really the same Serena that pulled klutz moves on jobs before she had that devastating loss to Furea in Reversal Mountain? Of course, I had to believe that. However, she was striking back like this. On top of that, I had to find out her motive for all that hate against Fairy Tail. How was that fueling her power so much?

When she jumped back up to the booth while Team Fairy Tail A retrieved Erza, Serena and Sting were kissing again. The very image of my ex-boyfriend kissing another girl was like torture, and I wanted to throw Orga at her. Serena may have been sweet with that angry side, but she could not be gaining Sting's love. Her level of power seemed normal now, but her final spells were always so godly. Were those stupid stones really that powerful?

The announcement of the battle part was the perfect thing to take my mind off of Serena, and I had to wonder if I would be chosen again to have some time in the spotlight. I had to be next again, or at least let someone different have a shot. Neither Sting or Rogue had battled yet, and I was looking forward to Sting's match. Hopefully, he wouldn't be a dork and surrender.

The first battle was between Lyon Vastia of Team Lamia Scale and Yaeger from Team Quatro Cerberus. Lyon simply struck his opponent with ice eagles, and pinned him against the wall with them to quickly end the match. Lyon won the match, bringing Lamia Scale 10 more points and leaving Quatro Cerberus with zero points.

The next battle was between Jellal from Team Fairy Tail B and Risley Law from Team Mermaid Heel. Jellal simply defeated her with Grand Chariot, and he watched his opponent fall flat on her face when she hit the ground. Jellal won the match, thus earning 10 points for Team Fairy Tail B and giving them a total of 50 points. Mermaid Heel had only 4 points, frustrating Kagura a little when I looked over at her team.

The third match had Sting up against Eve Team from Blue Pegasus, and Sting immediately raised his hands up toward the sky while arrogantly smirking. A white beam of light came down from above, hitting Eve with an extreme amount of force, and making us gain 10 more points for Team Sabertooth. Sting won the match, and that new move of his had been called Superior Light Smash.

The final match would've had Celosia from Team Flare against Erza Scarlet from Team Fairy Tail A, but the latter was still unconscious from all the damage that Serena had dealt to her. That meant Fairy Tail had to forfeit the match, giving Team Flare ten more points. Furea seemed a bit miffed about that, but Team Flare still had fourth place. The worst of the best four was nothing to worry about, really.

* * *

**Later that day... (Sting's POV)**

While Lucy and Wendy were out shopping, as Minerva was at a restaurant with Orga and Rufus, Rogue and I had decided to just talk in the park. Winning that match today and making my girlfriend happy were the two best things on my mind right now, and we had three perfect days in a row. Lucy kept on getting stronger, much greater than ever, and her power from the stones was always amazing to watch.

Rogue had called me out here to discuss something important with him, not really telling me what he wanted to discuss, but that was Rogue. Quiet and kind of emotionless, but we got along pretty well. I just wondered what he wanted to talk about, since we hadn't talked in a while.

"Sting, we need to talk. It's about Lucy. I've secretly followed you guys on missions, as well as seeing her powers from the stones. For her to start using fusion spells like that one we saw today... That's really dangerous to the opponent and the enormous amounts of magical power depleted from the user's body. That level of power could kill someone." Rogue explained to me with a very stern look, warning me about my teachings.

"They haven't killed anyone for her to be arrested, now have they? Lucy is just getting stronger, dude. She knows that toying around with the spells is dangerous, and she only went berserk on Erza because of Team Natsu hating that little healing girl for helping me yesterday. You know she doesn't like those guys for what they did to her, Rogue. At least be proud that the Shadow Stone keeps having a black radiance." I responded calmly, knowing Lucy wasn't a fool.

At that moment, his red eyes widened like I told him that someone close to him had died. I probably shouldn't have mentioned the Shadow Stone, but we hadn't even tested it out yet. The stone had failed to work all those weeks ago, so I really doubted that it would suddenly work now. There was no way for its spells to work, so it was just a rock.

"Remember the story my sister told you? She left out one detail. Sting, that stone was born from the hatred of the queen's Darkrai." Rogue told me in a calm manner, before explaining about how the stone's spells were triggered...

* * *

**How was the 22nd chapter? Sting and Lucy have now gained an ally from Fairy Tail, but what happens when Sabertooth must face Fairy Tail in the tag battle? Will humiliating memories return to haunt Sting? Will humiliating memories return to make Lucy feel rage? Does the Shadow Stone have its own power? Why does Minerva tremble in pure fear? Standby for the next update!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Sting's POV**

I had awoken to the sounds of birds chirping on the ledges of my room's balcony, along with light shining through the windows while the sun was rising into the sky. That signaled the end of the third night and the beginning of the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games. I knew the sponsors had never changed how the battle format went, even though they changed the events, and this was the day for the tag-team battle.

I still remembered how me and Rogue lost to Natsu and Gajeel last year, causing Jiemma to be extremely angry with us. I wanted to win against them as payback for Fairy Tail having a suspiciously good strategy to give them an easy strategy for victory on the final day. I didn't want to just win for my sake, but I wanted to be partnered with Lucy because she had her reasons for wanting to get back at Fairy Tail. Natsu kicked her off of his team, and Lucy thought that by beating Fairy Tail that she would be stronger than how she was in the past.

Also, I had the intent of winning in my blue eyes from witnessing Natsu's brash and dense attitude firsthand during the Avalanche event. That dense idiot referred to Lucy as useless, which definitely prompted me try and kick his butt. Not only did I detest Natsu's attitude towards Lucy, but the fact that he had cheated on her with Lisanna and showed no remorse whatsoever about the whole situation only fueled my drive to win today. I was going to make his girlfriend proud, especially if we were partnered up today.

Drifting my negative thoughts and passionate drive aside for a moment, I smiled a little when I saw my girlfriend sleeping and snoring softly while having her head on my chest while her hands were on my rock-hard abdominals. She had swapped rooms with Rogue, since Minerva's jealousy kind of scared her, and now Lucy could sleep with me. Lucy was smiling and blushing happily while she was still in her transformation as Serena, and she let out a blissful sigh while she appeared to be having a wonderful dream. When she unconsciously planted a kiss on my chest, I chuckled a little bit and ran my fingers through her long black hair.

The soft and warm feeling caused Lucy to slowly open her now violet eyes, and she blushed a deep shade of red while gasping a little when she looked up at me to see me chuckling happily from her lips giving soft kisses to my skin. She released her lips from my skin, and smiled when I put my arms around her waist. We laid under the white bed sheets together, realizing we were both nude, but we had trusted each other immensely to know that moves wouldn't be made in any way unless we wanted to reach that point in our relationship.

"Good morning, Sting. It's such a beautiful morning, and that sunrise is perfect for the fourth day. It feels so renewing." She told me with a loving smile on her face, giggling a bit.

"The sunrise isn't beautiful like you, though. Anyway, I hope you know that today is going to be where people battle in pairs for the tag-team battles. It's been like that ever since the Grand Magic Games first began. I just know the match ups for today will be far from random, especially after the way you took out Erza. Good morning to you, too, by the way." I replied with my usual cocky grin, as I looked into her violet eyes and caressed her back softly.

Even though the battle part was where Lucy and I hoped we'd be lucky, I had to wonder what the event would be like. Would it be like the Naval Battle, with Minerva grievously injuring someone again? At least it wouldn't be Lucy, but I secretly had the thought of seeing her in a nice two-piece bikini. That would be so hot, but we didn't even know what the event would be.

"If we have to finally fight Fairy Tail, don't even expect me to go easy on them at all. Those guys have caused me a lot of trouble, and what Team Natsu did to Wendy yesterday is just basically asking for me to crush them with my spells. I must beat Natsu and Lisanna, as that's the only way to make me feel much stronger than my past self, Sting." She told me with a determined look on her face, having the confidence in her violet eyes that I liked to see.

Lucy got off of me and walked towards the brown bureau's second drawer where she had put her clothes, getting changed to start her day, and I decided to put on my clothes as well. While I was quickly getting dressed, I couldn't help but take a slight peek over at her to see how beautiful she looked in her bare beauty. Unfortunately, she had already put on her sky blue T-shirt with a sapphire blue miniskirt and some dark blue flat shoes.

* * *

**15 minutes later... (Lucy's POV)**

On the way to the arena, I was really pumped up with the desire to beat Fairy Tail in the tag battle. Today had to be the day where our guilds faced each other, since all the tension from the other three days had been building up. I had decided to not really go with one particular type of magic, since Fairy Tail had enough people for us to face off against anybody. All of the stones would be involved, including the Shadow Stone.

Sting kept looking at me like he was trying to put on a courageous smile, making me wonder if he was supposedly nervous. He never got fearful about facing anybody, so why was he acting like there was something that he was trying to hide? He wasn't exactly the best at keeping secrets that weren't told to him by me, since he once told me about Minerva's obsession with striped underwear.

"Okay, stop staring at me in that curious way! You broke me, Lucy! The truth is that Rogue told me yesterday how the Shadow Stone was born from the queen's Darkrai from that insane story Vivian told us! He told me how you shouldn't use fusion spells, since they can kill, even though yours are mainly flashy and not filled with killing intent." Sting told me while looking a bit guilty, sighing while tilting his head down toward the ground.

"Wow, that's a bit crazy. Rogue thinks I'd have the power to decimate my enemies? Looks can be deceiving, Sting. My spells are holding back with the power, not loosening their restraints, so I highly doubt they can even stop a person's heart. Look, if it's us in the tag battle, I'll just use the other seven stones. If that's not enough, we'll just use one move from the Shadow Stone. Don't let paranoia frighten you and Rogue, Sting." I replied with a look of assurance, knowing I wasn't a reckless fan girl who would go crazy with the elemental stones.

Still, I was a bit shocked to know that the Shadow Stone came from a Darkrai. I had never really seen one before, so it's abilities were unknown to me. Did it had some great power that would help me and Sting win today? Besides, if the Shadow Stone was bad, why were the other stones having spells of goodness and light? Even my Darkness Magic wasn't evil, so things were feeling a little complicated.

If that wasn't a shocker, what Sting and I saw up ahead would certainly make our jaws drop in pure amazement. Right near the entrance to the Domus Flau, my violet eyes caught sight of that guy from near the Parfum Palace. He was the guy that I had defeated a long time ago, and I think that his name was Tsukushi. What in the world was he doing here? Sting and I gave each other serious glances, before running over there to confront him. (If you don't remember him, read Chapter 10.)

"Hey, you! You're that Tsukushi guy that I burnt to a crisp back then! What in the world are you doing in Crocus? I thought my Flare Blitz spell put you out of commission!" I told him sternly, hoping he wasn't trying to do any illegal activity here to try and make money or something like that.

He responded while turning to face us, looking freaked out while nearly jumping in fear, "Oh, man! You're that fiery psycho chick! Ever since that day, I've kept my nose out of a life of crime! I couldn't risk getting beaten down again by someone like you, so I now work for Sorcerer Magazine as Jason's underling who has to take pictures of models! Now smile for the camera!"

Seeing this as an awkward moment that had to become a bit more peaceful, Sting and I decided to pose for some pictures. We made funny faces, looked confident, gave heckling looks, and even made loving faces for all of our adoring fans. Tsukushi told us that I definitely had the potential to become the next Miss Fiore, and Sting looked like the coolest guy ever. He always looked handsome, and I loved being his beautiful partner.

Knowing that the Grand Magic Games would begin soon, Sting and I decided to run into the arena and reach Sabertooth's booth as fast as possible. Everyone else had left the inn at Crocus Gardens before us, so we were obviously pretty late. However, that would only be by Minerva's standards. The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games hadn't begun yet, so we were still on time.

* * *

**10 minutes later... (Minerva's POV)**

As I saw Sting and Serena finally arrive at the booth where Sabertooth was located, I couldn't help but looked miffed at them not showing up early like the rest of us had done. Seriously, what had taken them so long? Had they overslept, or were they too busy making out like lovebirds to focus on the competition? I was going to compete in the event today, and that abnormal Serena was not going to steal anymore of the spotlight from me.

I looked over at my father to see him giving Sting a stern glare, clearly remembering how him and Rogue failed against Natsu and Gajeel in the tag battle, and there was a lot of pressure on him right now. After all, Sting had even forfeited to Fairy Tail in the final day of the Grand Magic Games because of how they were looking at him. He was so pathetic now, and I could see why Serena loved him. They were a perfect match.

"Hey, Serena! I'm going to tell you right now that I'll be competing in the event today! There are two women on this team, and you can't have all the fun! The applause will be more for me today, and you'll just be yesterday's news! It's my time to shine, so step aside!" I told her with a fierce look in my green eyes, ready to really show her that doing one-hit KOs in this competition was the way to really show strength.

"Sorry, Minerva. Did you say something while Sting was cuddling with his Huggy-Wuggy over here?" She asked me in a sweet tone, having her head against Sting's chest while they hugged and were both blushing cherry pink like some lovey-dovey couple as they cutely gazed at each other.

At that moment, my left eye twitched in pure anger. Sting called her Huggy-Wuggy, the same little pet name he used to call me? I clenched my fists angrily, ready to do that event, and then I would throw Serena off a cliff when this day was over. That little rookie better not have even thought of giving Sting a little pet name, since hearing that all day would be complete torture to me.

"Welcome to day four of the Grand Magic Games, ladies, gentlemen, boys, and girls! So far, Sabertooth is keeping the lead, but the Fairy Tail teams are right behind them with Team Flare on their trail! Can anyone rattle the standings in the tag-team battles and the event today? Will Sabertooth keep this consistent streak of good fortune? Let's see what happens!" Chapati shouted while having a smile on his face, knowing one of today's battles would be the best in the history of the Grand Magic Games.

"Let's see who has the best magic today." Yajima commented in a calm manner.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Gary Oak, the guest judge for the fourth day, and I'll sign all your autographs later. I'm the grandson of Professor Oak in Kanto, and let's see if all of you guys were even worth the trip here." A brown-haired boy wearing a purple shirt arrogantly said into the microphone, displaying a case of 10 Kanto badges for only his fans to really care.

Chapati immediately explained that the name of the event for the fourth day was known as "Contest Coordinator". According to the rules of the game, all of us had to pick a creature from one of the eight magically-created Poké Balls, and we had to show off one of its moves with our magic while being on a stage. Anyone whose moves failed to work would get eliminated, and falling off the stage would also result in a loss. The person with the highest score from one to ten would win, and I would certainly show the crowd that Serena Fennekin wasn't all that great.

While I immediately teleported down to the battlefield, Team Quatro Cerberus had chosen Rocker to participate for them. Team Mermaid Heel chose Arania, Team Blue Pegasus chose Jenny, Team Lamia Scale chose Chelia, Team Flare chose Electra, Team Fairy Tail B selected Juvia, and Team Fairy Tail A selected Gray to participate for them. (Note: Juvia and Lisanna have switched teams, due to the latter wanting to be closer to Natsu.)

When were all finally on the field, 150 Poké Balls were magically appear on the ground and in midair. The capsule balls opened up to reveal various creatures, and I really wanted to win in this event. I had chosen an Alakazam, knowing both of us were able to teleport, and its psychic abilities were perfect for me to claim first place over everyone else.

A stage immediately ascended from below, also created with magic, and we all stood on the stage while glaring at each other. I personally wanted to make Serena jealous, but then I had a better idea. Remembering how she swayed Wendy over to our side, even though the little blue-haired girl was back with Team Fairy Tail B and standing next to Cana, I decided to try and fuel Serena's strategy of destroying Fairy Tail from within.

Rocker was up first with Excadrill, but it had disobeyed him and used Focus Blast on him while also knocking Rocker off the stage. Team Quatro Cerberus once again received zero points, keeping them in last place. Arania was up next with Spinarak, shooting spider webs in the air, but I simply made an energy wave appear from behind them to knock those fools off the stage. With Mermaid Heel in seventh place again, this was really getting good for me.

Jenny's Oshawott had accidently used Water Gun on Chelia's Pidgey, causing those two girls to bicker, and I simply warped them both back to their booths. Like I told Serena, no one would steal my spotlight today. Much to my shock, Electra and Magnezone left the stage without even doing anything at all. Team Flare wasn't exactly the type who did something like the Grand Magic Games, but they had some kind of plan.

Juvia was too busy trying to impress Gray with her Piplup while he had a Froslass, prompting me and Alakazam to cause tension in Fairy Tail. I made my wave matter surround Piplup, freezing it in ice that appeared out of nowhere like it was from a ghost, making Juvia fall for my trick. She thought Froslass and Gray had rejected Piplup and her, prompting her to look extremely angry with them supposedly freezing Piplup. Juvia pushed Gray off the stage, making him receive third place, before she jumped off to give him a slap to the face.

Wow, those fairies were easy to play like a violin. Working on their weak spots was a great thing to do, and I was now the only person left on the stage with Alakazam. This meant that I received 10 points for Team Sabertooth, glaring evilly at Serena to see if she could top that, and the crowd was applauding for me. This feeling of redemption was great, and those halfwits from Fairy Tail were like sheep. They didn't really think hard when sending out a loose cannon like Juvia, and Gray would make her go crazy with motivation. Too bad I fooled them both like the puppets they were.

* * *

**15 minutes later... (Lucy's POV)**

Minerva was really impressive out there, winning by turning Juvia against Gray, and I actually liked her style for doing something like that. She disliked Fairy Tail as much as I did, but our reason for not liking certain people from that guild were completely different. When Sabertooth had a grand dinner to celebrate last night, I had allowed Wendy to eat with us. She looked a lot happier than she did yesterday morning, and she had actually told us the weaknesses of Team Natsu. Of course, we'd never tell them where we had found such vital information.

Speaking of Fairy Tail, each passing minute would draw us closer to the battle part. I was really looking forward to teaching Natsu and Lisanna a thing or two about messing with me, and they were going to go down hard. I wanted to be paired with Sting, due to our impressive teamwork, and we were not going to lose. I had to see if I was different from my past self, and losing was not an option.

"I'd like to see you try and top my deceptive skills, Serena. You may be able to have all those flashy attacks, but what was really the point of manipulating Wendy to our side? It's not like she'd be useful to us in any way, a notch lower than where you currently are." Minerva told me with a taunting look on her face, fueling our rivalry once more.

"I've got news for you, Minerva! I will crush Fairy Tail for what they did to Wendy, and they'll be destroyed as revenge for other matters as well! I hate that idiot Natsu, and my magic will make him regret the day that he messed with me! He's going to get creamed by me, and Lisanna will be beaten down! If I have to be paired with you, don't even try to get in the way of this grudge!" I retorted fiercely, ambition in my eyes while glaring directly at her, preparing to obliterate the stupid fairies that tried hunting me down like hungry wolves.

My counterstatement had made Minerva step back a bit, and I was just as psyched as Sting for the tag battle today. This had to be destiny coming up, the battle where I would prove myself against my old comrades, and they were going to be blown away by my power. I could only smile happily, tingling with excitement, and I was even more pleased when Chapati announced for the battle part to begin.

The tag-team battles of day four had finally come around, with Bacchus & Nobarly from Quatro Cerberus going up against Kagura & Arania from Mermaid Heel. Kagura defeated both of the males with one slash of her unsheathed sword, possibly causing an airwave to strike them. Mermaid Heel won the match, and now had 14 points while Quatro Cerberus had zero points.

* * *

The 2nd battle was Blue Pegasus versus Lamia Scale, and the match up had Hibiki Lates & Nichiya up against Lyon Vastia & Jura Neekis. When the battle began, Jura immediately used Iron Rock Fist with his Earth Magic to strike Nichiya and send him slamming into the wall. He was knocked out, and Lyon made an ice snake attack Hibiki when his guard was down for that split second. The snake froze him solid, making Lamia Scale now have 32 points while Blue Pegasus only had eight points.

* * *

The third match put Cana & Elfman from Team Fairy Tail B against Furea & Electra from Team Flare. Furea was my rival, so I knew that she wouldn't be showing any sort of mercy. Much to my amazement, she released many small flames from her hands and sent them towards Cana and Elfman. I thought she was crazy for doing that, but the small flames turned into large infernos that immediately exploded! Cana and Elfman were both knocked out by that power, giving Team Flare a total of 42 points while Team Fairy Tail B had 58 points.

* * *

Chapati announced with a thrilled expression while he looked at the names for the final match of the day, "This last match is sure to get all the couples in the stadium excited! You think Lacrima Vision screens are only in the arena, but they aren't! We've seen these two couples making out around Crocus, in restaurants, in stores, and even in the arcade! This is sure to be a good match! Just like last year, it's Fairy Tail versus Sabertooth! The best guild in Fiore once again, versus the guild who was the greatest last year! The match is Natsu and Lisanna versus Sting and Serena!"

At that moment, upon hearing the names of the participants, my heart was beating with pure delight from this match up. I was finally going to get payback against those two jerks, and I would show them how strong I had gotten. They wouldn't see the same Lucy anymore, even though I was currently disguised as Serena Fennekin. As the stones radiated from within the case I held in my left hand, I had a good feeling about this fight.

Sting and I happily smiled at each other, this battle meaning everything to us, and my violet eyes were filled with confidence while holding his hand as we walked through the nearby door to reach the hallway that led to the battlefield. Would I able to gain a victory for my guild of the present and future, and defeat the dense cheater and his rumor-spreading princess from my past? Had I finally become a stronger person, the exact opposite of my past self?

"Are you ready for this, Lucy?" Sting calmly asked me while we were smiling at each other, walking down the dark hallway hand in hand.

I replied with courage in my violet eyes, having a passionate smile on my face while the light of the battlefield was coming closer into view, "I'm totally ready to kick Natsu's butt, and Lisanna's going to get pummeled as well. This is my moment, Sting. Those bastards will be totally shocked by how I've improved. I hope to impress you with my power, too."

When everyone saw us all come out on to the battlefield, roars and cheers shook the stadium. Wendy and Cana were cheering for Sabertooth, being my friends, despite that they were in Fairy Tail. Everyone had been looking forward to this match, and I could even see Tsukushi having a seat in the audience with his eyes directly on me. He wanted to see my strength, and it was time to rock.

"You're gonna go down, Sting. Prepare to lose in the tag battle once again." Natsu arrogantly told him with his grin of overconfidence, flames engulfing his fists.

"I hope you're ready to get defeated, Serena. I don't know what grudge you have with Team Natsu, but we'll tear you apart." Lisanna added while evilly giggling at me, going into her Animal Soul: Tigress Take-Over.

Those jerks came running towards us, but Sting and I answered their taunts with punches to the face that sent them sliding backwards. The crowd wasn't even cheering yet, feeling the wind blow through the stadium to really feel the tension in the air. I decided to get something started by activating the eighth fusion spell from the Dawn Stone, feeling this new spell be written for this battle.

"Sorry, Fairy Tail. You caused some pain, and now I'm bringing the pain right back to you! Time for the eighth fusion spell from the Dawn Stone, Starry Revolution!" I shouted confidently with a strategic look on my face, motioning for Sting to watch this.

I began to spin around rapidly, a pink aura surrounding my body, and the aura began to turn into many pink star-shaped projectiles. All 151 of them were surrounding me in a circle, spinning around like I was doing, and they all launched themselves at Natsu and Lisanna! Many pink blasts of energy occurred, their power focused mainly into the point of contact with the target, but the smoke cleared up to reveal that Natsu was somewhat durable. That attack left him with a couple of bruises, but its side effect was pretty great for my next move.

Natsu ran towards me with flames covering his fists, trying to punch me, but I kept dodging quickly like a Pikachu using Agility. One of my clones had actually seen that happen, passing on that info to me, and Clone Magic also enabled me to mimic the speed of something as well. Now being faster than before, I simply jumped into the air while Sting sneakily hit Natsu with White Dragon's Holy Breath. He was sent crashing through a wall, but quickly got up while looking miffed.

"Get the hell out of my way, you bastard! That bitch is going down!" He angrily yelled at Sting, proceeding to activate his Fire Dragon's Roar.

"You won't lay one finger on my girlfriend, Salamander. I'll gladly stop you, but that would be displeasing to her." Sting replied coldly, seriousness in his blue eyes.

While the boys were chatting, Lisanna had jumped into the air to try and slash at me with her sharp claws. I came back down to the ground, dodging her moves with flexibility, and I proceeded to use my Darkness Magic when I found an opening. As she kept slashing at me, I had used the Dawn Stone's side effect to my advantage. Depending on how many projectiles I had made, that determined the exponential power of my next move.

Suddenly, much to her surprise, Lisanna began to be pulled upward like the laws of gravity weren't applying to her at all! She couldn't even lift a single finger, and my eighth fusion spell of Darkness Magic was now activated. This spell was known as Moonlight Destiny, and it caused a purple beam of Darkness Magic to be shot down all the way from the moon. It had been attracted to any levitating objects, mainly Lisanna, and my attack struck her head-on. A massive purple blast of energy transpired, but it quickly cleared up to reveal Lisanna groaning in pain while looking badly bruised from that attack. She was still able to stand, however, making me narrow my violet eyes in disgust.

"Don't hurt Lisanna, you dumb bitch!" Natsu exclaimed to me, jumping high into the air while creating an extremely large fireball in his hands.

While he fiercely glared down at me, throwing the fireball with tremendous force, that just naturally made me activate my eighth fusion spell of Fire Magic. This spell was known as Fire Demon's Little Girl, and the side effect from Moonlight Destiny allowed me to increase the power, size, and speed of his attack. Fire Demon's Little Girl allowed me to take control of any fire attack, and I redirected Natsu's attack at Lisanna. She screamed in agonizing pain when the enhanced fireball struck her directly, and I absorbed all of the beautiful scarlet red flames into my left hand.

"You just told me not to hurt Lisanna, yet you just did. What an idiotic hypocrite you are." I calmly told Natsu while smirking with my eyes closed, certainly enjoying how this battle was turning out.

At that moment, after hearing me berate Natsu, Lisanna had the stupid idea to run towards Sting. She was trying to slash at him with her claws, and she wasn't going to put her filthy hands on my boyfriend. To Natsu's surprise, when he was down on the ground, I had jumped into the air while proudly smiling with an orange aura surrounding my body.

"Time for my first fusion spell of Earth Magic, and I call it Earth Demon's Rocking Rumble!" I shouted fiercely, using the power of Fire Demon's Little Girl to juice up this massive attack even more.

When I landed on my hands, directly behind Lisanna, the battlefield began to have large cracks in it while the chunks of earth were breaking apart. All of the small rocks rose up into the air with an orange aura surrounding them, and they came down on Lisanna to give her some good hits to the head. When the rocks hit Lisanna or the ground, many large orange blasts of energy occurred! They obliterated the entire battlefield, but this spell's effect made all the rocks turn into sand and repair the battlefield like it had never been damaged. I placed my hands on the earth, absorbing all its strength to assist my next move.

Lisanna told Natsu while panting heavily, as she stood by him with a worried facial expression, "Man, that girl's way tough! I've never seen anyone at this level of strength before, Natsu!"

"Don't worry, Lisanna! She may be able to have abnormal attacks, but she can't dodge normal ones!" He responded to her with a cocky smirk, before charging at me to try and land a few flaming kicks.

Unfortunately for him, I vanished at warp speed like I had Minerva's Territory Magic. I was actually moving at lightning speed thanks to the side effect of Earth Demon's Rocking Rumble, and my hands turned into black claws with sharp yellow nails. I kept moving incredibly fast, striking Natsu from all eight directions on a compass with my electrical slashes that electrocuted him greatly, but I wasn't done yet.

"If you thought that was abnormal, try this on for size! Here's the first fusion spell of Lightning Magic, and this is the second part of Lightning Demon's Electrical Dance!" I told Natsu with confidence in my eyes, knowing full well that this next move would definitely be another part of teaching him a lesson.

The sky began to have dark clouds swirling in the air above the Domus Flau, and eight beams of lightning came down towards Natsu from all eight directions. The lightning from my slashes was also paralyzing him, rendering him immobile, and the eight beams of lightning struck him directly while creating eight yellow blasts of energy that grew larger in succession. The yellow blasts blinded the eyes of the audience and the judges, but I could see how that attack had really dealt damage to Natsu.

He was now bloodied and heavily bruised, and those larger lightning blasts expanded outward to damage Lisanna as well. She was also groaning in pain, but the fairies still had the will to stand up. I didn't want to end this too quickly, and I wanted to have more fun. The lightning had worked perfectly when I secretly activated Motor Drive, raising my speed exponentially, and that would work well with my next move.

"Serena, you keep doing so great! Keep up the momentum!" Sting told me with an encouraging facial expression, having an idea that he mouthed to me before his lips maintained a strategic smirk.

Lisanna ran towards him once again, but Sting grabbed her left arm and spun her around rapidly to send her into the air. I had landed on the ground, my yellow aura turning emerald green to symbolize that Wind Magic would come out to play, and my next fusion spell was ready for activation. I watched Sting keep Natsu busy by firing Holy Ray at him, and I closed my eyes while calmly smiling.

"All right, Lisanna! I hope you're ready for this, since you will finally feel my anger! Wind Demon's Ancient Wings!" I fiercely yelled from below, gaining two large green feathery wings in my hands while my violet eyes were locked on their target.

I flapped the wings rapidly, generating quite a large gust through the arena, and the large green air vortex left the green wings before curving upward to strike its target with an extreme amount of force. I could hear Lisanna scream from feeling the devastating power of my attack, the vortex making her swirl around and around before it exploded in a large green blast of energy.

The blast sent Lisanna falling to the ground, and she was breathing heavily while being bloodied and heavily damaged. Natsu ran over to her side, extremely angry with me, and Wind Demon's Ancient Wings had the side effect of making me inhale the air around me. It felt really soothing to me, raising my defense like a wall of air, but this would play a major role in my next move.

The wind that swirled around me immediately ascended into the air, and the swirling dark clouds from earlier had began to turn blue. The sky began to have a downpour of rain falling down on the battlefield, and the puddles of water began to turn into four large bubbles that circled around Natsu. He looked curious as to what I was up to with this spell, and a sky blue electric guitar appeared in my hands. I knew that water amplified sound, and this was really going to rock.

When I started playing the guitar, I began to play a series of high and low notes in my guitar solo. This had the whole crowd of rockers and many girls in the audience head banging, and even Orga was making the rock and roll symbol while enjoying the music. Minerva had her ears covered, but the one who was really feeling the pain was Natsu. He had to endure my ear-shattering music, and the four bubbles cornering him had exploded into many sky blue blasts of energy. They caused massive damage to him, as well as dousing his flames, and my blue guitar had disappeared from my hands.

"Damn it, you bitch! How many elemental stones do you have?! You won't even show mercy, all because of us punishing Wendy! That's not any of your business, just like how me dumping that slut Lucy for my angelic Lisanna is none of your business! She can go die, for all I care! She's weak, pitiful, the very definition of a loser that will always be spat on by me!" Natsu furiously yelled at me, ready to really end this.

"Lucy needs to know who her replacement is, and she's not even wanted in Fairy Tail anymore. She's just a weak little disgrace, so why are you guys so bent on sticking up for that piece of garbage? She's just a dirty little attention whore that needs to know that no one even wants to see her ugly face! The bitch can go roll in the mud like the pathetic dog she is!" Lisanna added while evilly smirking, also prepared to end this battle by truly getting serious.

They seriously had the nerve to say things like that, such deplorable things? That's how those bastards thought of me?! I was sick of taking abuse from Natsu, even if it was indirect, and his rotten attitude made me infuriated. I couldn't stand Lisanna, either, and the fact that Natsu cheated on me had fueled my rage even further. I hated their taunts, and this would end now. I pulled out the Shadow Stone, putting all my rage and hate into it, and I hoped it would answer my call to make these assholes cry.

"Serena, are you seriously going to use that?! We haven't tested it out yet!" Sting warned me, looking utterly concerned in a critical moment like this.

"Sting, I will never let Natsu get off free for what he had done to me. He never knew me back then, but now he'll see my rage." I told Sting in a cold tone, clenching the Shadow Stone tighter and tighter with every moment that Natsu had deceived me.

* * *

**(Note: This part of the battle is violent.) **

**Sting's POV**

What in the world was Lucy thinking? Was she serious about taking this big risk, even though the spells probably wouldn't work? She had to be absurd right now to pull that out, but I noticed that a black aura was beginning to surround her body. She became a few inches taller, her eyes changing from violet to red, and her eyes took on a strangely evil look.

The Shadow Stone was reacting to her hatred of Natsu, and all of his taunts kept making it worse. Him and Lisanna wouldn't stop, and Lucy had such a dark look in her eyes. She really was planning to finish this right now, but did she even feel all right? Was the Shadow Stone helping her or hurting her? I didn't know what to do, but I had to see what would happen.

"Natsu, you've really crossed the line. I'm going to end you right now! First fusion spell, Shadow Beam!" Lucy exclaimed evilly, smirking afterwards.

She unleashed an extremely large black beam of energy from her left hand, striking Natsu with it, and it sent him crashing into the wall with tremendous force. I looked back to see how Lucy was acting, and she was just.. gone. I looked around to suddenly see black smoke appearing behind Lisanna, and Lucy emerged from it with a vicious facial expression. She had used Black Teleport, a spell allowing her to warp through dark smoke, and that played into the third spell.

Lisanna asked in shock, "How are you behind me?"

"Shut the hell up, bitch! Third fusion spell, Shadow Smoke!" Lucy shouted angrily, almost like she couldn't even see me.

The black smoke floated around Lisanna, damaging her with black blasts of energy, and she was taking an extreme amount of damage. She was breathing heavily while sliding across the ground, near my feet, but that only provoked Lucy's fourth spell known as Dark Payback. Shadows came from underground, slamming themselves down on her while constricting her arms and legs, and they molded themselves into sharp-pointed drills that pierced right through her skin.

Lisanna screamed in agonizing pain, getting immensely hurt while the shadows tortured her greatly, and I stepped back a few feet when Lucy walked over to her. She slammed her feet on Lisanna's back with extreme force, making her cough up more blood, and I had to wonder what was going on here. I had never seen Lucy get like this in a battle, that black aura having a life of its own with such fearsome power. Had Lucy finally unlocked that power?

"Serena, what kind of magic is this?" I curiously asked her, hoping for an answer.

"This is Darkrai Magic, the darkest power of all. I feel it flowing through my veins, giving me such great energy! This evil power feels wonderful, and now I'm in the mood to finally have fun. Natsu better make this interesting for me." She responded coldly, disappearing with high speed that left black smoke behind. I called that Shadow Accelerate, since she could only use that speed from a spell.

Lucy was moving at quintuple her average running speed, jumping into the air while creating her sixth spell. This was Shadow Charge, the spell she had tried to previously create, and a black sphere appeared in front of Natsu. It flashed a blinding white light, making his shadow appear, and the sphere was pulling him inward by making a shadowy black hand grab his shadow. He was pulled into the sphere, and it exploded into a massive blast of black energy. Black smoke filled the area, making me gulp a bit, and Natsu had been sent back against a wall while struggling to stand.

"My true powers have not come to light, but darkness shall bring them back to me. Time for the final fusion spell, Destructive Black Vortex!" She shouted harshly, watching all the shadows of everyone in the stadium become visible. They turned into many large vortexes, charging towards Natsu and Lisanna before creating an extremely large explosion that made everyone drop their jaws in awe at the sight of what just happened.

The smoke quickly cleared up to reveal that Lisanna was now unconscious while being badly wounded in a pool of her own blood, and Natsu was close to collapsing. He couldn't even move his left arm or right leg, and Lucy was slowly walking towards him with the aura of darkness surrounding her. She kept smiling evilly as I watched the whole scene unfold. She was enjoying this brutality?

This couldn't be Lucy, not the one I knew as Serena Fennekin. It just couldn't be. She always had a happy smile on her face, never something so malicious. That aura surrounding her actually made her shadow take the chilling form of a Darkrai, so menacing, and the air really became cold. I was so frightened beyond belief, but I had to stop this. As cool as I was, I still knew when to stop.

The black aura made a Shadow Knife appear in her hand, and that thing was spiky as hell. She really intended to kill Natsu... No, that had to be Darkrai taking over Lucy's feelings of darkness and revenge! The Shadow Stone must've given her Darkrai's eyes, making her unconscious while probably in a horrible nightmare. This power was terrifying, and I had to do something to keep Lucy's rage from going out of control.

I shouted loudly with tears in my eyes while running over there, wanting Lucy to wake up and end Darkrai's influence over her as I saw her aim straight for Natsu's heart, "Stop it, Serena! Don't do this! You're my best friend, my lover, my best training partner, and you mean everything to me! I don't want you to become a murderer! Taking Natsu's life won't bring him back to you or Lisanna, but please come back to me! You're not alone in the nightmare! I'm always with you, and I love you! You're the sweetest girl I know!"

The entire audience had their eyes on me, looking fearful like I did, and even Minerva was shaking. I wouldn't laugh at her for that, since Lucy nearly killed Natsu. Suddenly, the black aura around her body began to go back into the Shadow Stone with her eyes changing back from red to violet. Serena fell backwards into my arms, and Natsu had fallen to the ground because of all the trauma.

"Wow... That was really worth coming here all the way from Kanto. Sabertooth wins the battle, getting 10 points. Let's give a big hand to Sting and Serena, everybody." Gary Oak calmly announced for Chapati and Yajima, who were still in shock.

As the crowd began to cheer and clap, Lucy slowly began to open her eyes. She looked up at me with somewhat of a scared facial expression, but then she smiled a bit when noticing that she was right here with me. Lucy got out of my arms, hugging me tightly while obviously shaken up from all that serious power. After going through something like that, I wasn't surprised.

"Sting, that power was so evil and cold..." She told me while her body shook, really frightened from Darkrai taking control.

"It's ok now, Lucy. You're here with me, and we won the battle. Well, you won it. I just helped a little." I replied with a small smile, trying to assure her that everything was all right.

"When I heard your voice calling out to me, I saw light... You freed me from that darkness. I love you, Sting." Lucy went on, before gently kissing my lips as she blushed a bit.

"You've definitely changed from your past self, Lucy. You just surprised us all with the shadow power, but the other spells showed me how far you've come. Let's keep doing well, and you know we'll definitely win." I answered back, the crowd's cheering causing us to speak up a bit to each other, and I could see love in her eyes.

Seeing no other way to treat a true winner, I carried Lucy in my arms while the victory confetti came down on us. We shared a wonderful kiss on the lips, making the crowd cheer more for us, and I was so glad that Lucy had become so determined. Her drive to win was so inspiring, making me want to do my best as well. Natsu and Lisanna were both unconscious, picked up by Gray and Erza, but those jerks had messed with the wrong girl. Lucy was strong, and we really did make the best couple.

* * *

**How was Chapter 23? Pretty exciting, huh? The StiCy keeps continuing, and the Shadow Stone's dark power has awakened! However, Darkrai's aura frightens Lucy. Will Sting treat her to a well-deserved date on the break day before the survival tournament begins? Will Team Flare now see real interest in Serena? Will Team Natsu do something pretty harsh? Who does Lucy offer her hand to? Standby for the update!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting, Lector, Froakie, and I were at a waffle shop in Crocus to start another morning of the Grand Magic Games. Well, today was actually the break day before the survival tournament would begin on the last day. Sabertooth's fight against Fairy Tail had really gotten me a lot more fans, nearly three stadiums of them, and everyone kept talking about my strength. Even a little green-haired girl around Wendy's age wanted my autograph, and she called me "Serena, the toughest of the future Elite Four."

Still, even though my first seven types of magic were now being mimicked by my younger fans, those spells from the Shadow Stone really gave me the chills. They had such tremendous dark power, and I had been in a dark void. In that void, a black and white reflection of myself as Serena Fennekin was evilly laughing. She had such deadly power, wielding spells that could've killed someone, but Sting had saved me with his loving voice.

"Lucy-chan, are you ok? All this attention should have you smiling!" Lector nicely told me, noticing my saddened look.

"You're still a bit shaken up from yesterday, huh?" Sting asked me with a concerned facial expression, touching my left hand with his right hand to try and assure me we were in this together.

I nodded my head up and down to Sting while trying my best to smile, and I really didn't want him to start worrying about me. We just couldn't use the Shadow Stone casually like the others, that's all. On top of its immense unrestrained power, that black elemental stone required its wielder to have an extreme amount of rage and hate to use it in the moment. I had cooled down since yesterday, but could my emotions force themselves out in some way, shape, or form?

However, this was a break day of relaxation for everyone. I had to calm down, knowing that there were no fights today, and Sting was treating me to this morning date. He wanted to reward me for doing so great yesterday, using spells from the first seven stones in a great chain like I had done, and that was no easy feat. Even Laxus probably couldn't do that, since balancing seven consecutive fusion spells was said to be on an extremely high level of difficulty.

"Sting, I have to be strong for both of us. I won't be scared and run away from my problems anymore, especially since the stones don't control me. I will make that Darkrai's spirit understand me someday, and Sabertooth will win this tournament! Let's use this day to have fun, since eight straight victories isn't an easy record to obtain! Let's relax today, and be totally calm!" I told him while looking completely confident, feeling power build up inside of me from just looking in his charming blue eyes.

His eyes always had this way of being so enchanting to me, getting me loose from my worries, and his smile always had me blushing a light shade of pink. Every single kiss that we shared felt so magical, and Sting always calmed me down. My worries were gone for now, and I planned to relax with Sting today. While I was eating my waffles that were covered in maple syrup, they tasted so sweet like Sting's attitude towards me. He was the best guy ever, and we were going to be happy today.

While I was so ecstatic because of my loving boyfriend, I had to wonder how Cana and Wendy were doing. Were they really mad at me for what had happened in the tag battle yesterday, since I nearly killed Natsu and Lisanna? Mirajane and Elfman would probably get revenge on me for my actions, but they were completely justified. Had Natsu not pissed me off, the Shadow Stone wouldn't have worked. I would've had no rage, and the violent part of the battle could've been avoided.

Would Fairy Tail be hunting me down again, possibly forming a strategy to take me down? The thought of them finding out my true identity or where I was now living were the thoughts that freaked me out the most, and I had to wonder if they were catching up to me. Would they be searching Lumiose high and low, or would they look elsewhere?

* * *

**At Fairy Tail's infirmary... (Wendy's POV)**

Both of the Fairy Tail teams were finally allowed to see Natsu and Lisanna after the doctors had healed them from that brutal battle they had with Lucy a.k.a. Serena, and I was actually pretty glad that she gave them that beating. After all, Natsu had always talked bad about her after she had left Fairy Tail. Lisanna talked bad about her as well, definitely annoying me and Cana.

"Wow, Salamander. To get beaten to a pulp like that by a girl... You really got your butt handed to you. I bet Serena would've had a tougher fight against me, really." Gajeel told him with a heckling grin, chuckling a bit at Natsu's harsh defeat.

Natsu shouted angrily from behind the bandages that covered almost every part of his body while looking greatly annoyed, "Gajeel, shut up! Serena wasn't that tough, ok?! I just... didn't have anything to eat that morning! She just got lucky! There's no way she was that good! Me and Lisanna were just caught off guard by those abnormal spells, and we didn't know how they worked!"

As much as Natsu tried to lie to really save his pride, I saw through his act. He just couldn't admit that he had been beaten by someone who was better than him, and Lucy's unorthodox moves really were great to look at. All those blasts looked so pretty, and her power was at pretty high levels. I had every right to cheer her on, and the crowd enjoyed seeing the great Serena Fennekin in action.

Whatever training method Sting or Minerva had used on her, it really worked. Balancing normal spells was challenging, but making a combo of fusion spells while perfectly controlling the moves... That took some serious control. Lucy's shadow spells were pretty cool to see as well, and I really wanted to thank her on doing great yesterday. Of course, if I did that, Erza-san might kill me. Lucy's Fire Magic from day three had left her unconscious afterwards, and she had threatened me to never be standing with Sabertooth ever again.

I had a right to be friends with people from Sabertooth, especially since Minerva seemed a bit nicer than Erza. Besides, Team Natsu had been harsh ever since Lucy left Fairy Tail. They kept putting me through intense training, pushing me severely, and they were total jerks. Well, except for Gray. He had been rather quiet and holding back with his power ever since something he saw in Lumiose Town had freaked him out.

"That girl was way too tough, Mira-nee-chan. Serena's power was so destructive, but I should be fine for tomorrow. If not, please compete in my place. Take down that bitch Serena. Because of her, it hurts to move right now. I can't even lift a finger." Lisanna told Mirajane while making tears come out of her eyes, gaining Mira's sympathy like she would.

Everyone, except Cana and I, looked so concerned for Lisanna while she cried. Honestly, the act that she was putting on to rile up Fairy Tail against Sabertooth was just sick. At least when Minerva injured Lucy last year, that torturous beating was undeserved. However, Lisanna and the rest of Team Natsu acted like total jerks to Lucy when she was in our guild. She deserved to be mangled like she was feeling right now, after what she said about Lucy on the battlefield for everyone to hear. Not wanting to be in the infirmary any longer, I opened the door and quietly closed it.

Since this was the break day of the Grand Magic Games, I smiled a bit while intending to see Lucy. I wanted to really thank her for being so great in the tag-team battle, and seeing her dark spells was like seeing Karen of the Elite Four from the Johto League when the tournament aired on television last month. I definitely had to get her a gift as well, since we were still good friends.

However, upon going down the hallway that led to outside, I didn't take notice of someone following me. I decided to ignore their footsteps while I had my own task to do, and it was probably just Gajeel being bored from Natsu and Lisanna getting lovey-dovey again. I had told Master Makarov about Team Natsu hunting down Lucy, and he had officially called off the search for two reasons. First, it was really wrong to hunt down Lucy to kill her. Secondly, Fairy Tail had no jurisdiction over anyone in the far-off areas of Fiore. That included Lumiose, and guilds like Sabertooth and Lamia Scale could charge us with trespassing into their territory if we were caught there while having no legitimate reason to be in those territorial towns.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Furea's POV)**

After seeing that great battle yesterday, me and the other admins of Team Flare knew that Serena was the one we had to have our eye on. I guess she wasn't a stupid kid after all, since my Shadow Stone can't even work for me. With her having all eight stones, the world could be at Team Flare's mercy. Those fusion spells of hers were definitely off the normal readings of our Magic Power Finders, reaching numbers such as 876,543. That was a pretty high number, and fusion spells were more powerful than Unison Raids.

For her to freely use the powers of the stones, tremendous energies that couldn't be rivaled when chain fusions like hers had been done, this could only mean one thing. Serena had undergone mega-evolution, with her confidence and her spells evolving with her. That was perfect for the plan to begin, but it would have to wait till after the Grand Magic Games.

The other girls and I were currently at a café in Crocus, working on our next move, but what could we do? Getting Serena's DNA would be pointless, since she'd just make more spells, so we had to go after Fairy Tail. We all saw how she trounced those louts yesterday, and she had quite the dark power. That was similar to the legend Vivian told us about, but how could we get that guild of idiots to be manipulated by us?

"Vivian, do you have any ideas yet?" I sternly asked her while sipping my tea and looking harsh like I always did.

"Furea, you act as if Lysandre hired a rookie admin. I already have a great plan, and my Ghost-type creatures love to send me information. My Mismagius has told me how Team Natsu treats little Wendy Marvell so harshly, and how Serena hates them for that. She wants Wendy to be safe, but those idiots don't even care. They really do get in the way of things, so we could pick them off first. We already have a useful ally, you know." Vivian calmly told me with an evil smile forming on her lips, flipping her black hair while a strategy formed in her red eyes.

Of course, before going in like a bunch of morons, we had to find out what Serena's deal was with Team Natsu. They had done something to really piss her off, and nobody just spontaneously rages on someone out of nowhere. They had said some pretty nasty things about Lucy Heartfilia, the girl whose DNA we already had from a Ditto obtaining it, so we had something to start with.

Better yet, we had the perfect way to really use a so-called "pawn" against other pawns. If Team Natsu hated Lucy so much, we could just make her return that hate. Macy, Lucy's clone, unfortunately had unstable DNA that fell apart too fast. However, Lucy Heartfilia's DNA was still in our lab back in Lumiose Town. With a little bit of help from the stones, this girl of suffering could really wreak some havoc on a major threat.

The plan was being readied into action, since the ancient ruins under Lumiose held a great secret that we had unearthed. Only a person with truly good intentions could help us get the treasure for ourselves, seeing as it would help us control the entire world. To sum all this up, we needed Serena to keep powering up. We also needed Lucy Heartfilia's DNA to be made into a solid clone, and Fairy Tail had to fall apart. Also, something else had to be found...

"Furea, this plan is sure to be filled with energy. Juvia was a failed experiment, but using Lucy will be the most dastardly thing Team Flare has ever done yet. I can't wait to see Fairy Tail be blown away by their own ex-friend attacking them. We've already taken the shadow energies of Team Natsu, but we sent them back from the labs when those guys weren't strong enough to be of use to us." Mable happily told me while smiling, eating a slice of chocolate cake.

For starters, though, who could we target to really set things off? I had no idea how this would all commence, ironically being the top admin in Team Flare, but everything required patience. Greatness couldn't be rushed, and we needed to divide and conquer. Before physically attacking, it would seem better to really strike at the minds of Team Natsu. When that survival tournament came around at the tournament's, that would be our grand beginning...

Speaking of Fairy Tail, that little blue cat from earlier flew past me yesterday and made me drop my chili dog on the ground before the fourth day had begun. I liked seeing his scared face from the desert ruins, and every plan always needed a little bit of bait. I wasn't planning to destroy him, since he was just as loud as Natsu Dragneel, but we definitely would need a hostage. Besides, Electra has been wanting an Exceed for a while.

* * *

**At a cupcake shop... (Sting's POV)**

Lucy and I decided to stop by the cupcake shop that we were at on the first day, and all of our teammates were there. Minerva still glared at Lucy a.k.a. Serena, despite being totally scared when she unleashed her dark power. I had seen how frightened she looked, obviously trying to hide it for the sake of her reputation, and their interactions with each other suddenly became a little more interesting.

Minerva told Serena in a happy tone, smirking evilly while sitting next to her, "Wow, Serena! You really are a devious person to brutally take out those trashy fairies like that, and the way how you want Wendy on our side is simply glorious! You plan to drive wedges between everyone in Fairy Tail, something I would definitely do. Honestly, you're just as sadistic as me."

"How is it sadistic to just protect Wendy from a bunch of jerks, Minerva? I don't get why you think I'm manipulating her, but I'm totally not. She and I became fast friends on the third day, and that little girl is very nice. She doesn't deserve such brutal punishment from Team Natsu, especially since they showed no remorse about it." Lucy responded while raising an eyebrow at Minerva, probably wondering what she was up to.

Well, the fight had been really awesome yesterday. I could hear Wendy happily cheering for Sabertooth to win, and Natsu probably heard it too. He must've been miffed with a member of Fairy Tail openly backstabbing him, but betraying a traitorous idiot was actually a pretty good thing to do. Of course, I assumed that Lucy and I were both hoping Wendy wouldn't get beaten to a pulp.

As Lucy and Minerva kept disagreeing with Lucy having supposedly manipulative intentions, her little group of fan girls came up to our table while happily smiling and wanting her to receive their plates of cupcakes. Of course, Minerva had teleported them all in front of her to really make herself be noticed on the team. When telling the children her name, I found it a bit funny how they looked puzzled and said how they had never heard of her before the ten little girls walked out of the cupcake shop.

I walked around to the side of the table where Rogue, Minerva, and Lucy were sitting. As I flirtatiously grinned, I gave Lucy a soft kiss on the cheek for being so famous and not acting all stuck-up about it. She was such a genuine flower, my sweet Huggy-Wuggy, and hearing me call her that made Minerva glare at me like she'd kill me. Of course, I loved to romantically get back at someone who didn't earn those cupcakes.

Suddenly, we all walked outside at the sounds of somebody crying. What was going on? We all left the shop quickly to see that little blue-haired girl named Wendy getting punched in the face by Erza while she slid across the pavement. Was Fairy Tail trying to get rowdy in the streets or something? Either way, this situation really did not look good.

Wendy exclaimed angrily while looking at Erza, trying to stand up while looking like she had been repeatedly punched and kicked, "There's nothing wrong with cheering for Sabertooth! It shouldn't matter to you if I rooted for Sting and Serena yesterday, Erza! At least they weren't so mean like Natsu and Lisanna, who said all those horrible things about Lucy! You're just jealous that Serena's powerful, and you're not!"

Erza responded harshly, slapping Wendy in the face again while kicking her in the back, "Shut your mouth, Wendy! You're weaker than me, so that's no way to talk to someone who outranks you in every way! Cheering for those guys from Sabertooth makes you a filthy traitor, and you're not even strong enough to win a battle yet! I can't believe you still care about that useless bitch Lucy, so just like her... You're out of Fairy Tail! We have no need for disgusting trash like you, and you're better off dead!"

"Hey, shut your mouth! That's way out of line, Erza! Wendy definitely doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, especially when her reasons for doing things can be justified! So what if she cheered for me? What's so wrong with that? Besides, unlike your abusive training, I'd never hurt someone so severely to the point where Cosmic Hearts has to heal them with all of the spell's strength!" Serena shouted fiercely, ready to remind Erza of the beating she had previously received.

Erza took notice of Serena, seeing the fierce look in her violet eyes, but she walked away instead of fighting in the street with her. She had already felt Serena's fiery anger before, and she obviously had enough sense to not piss her off again. Still, that was so harsh on a kid like Wendy. Strength really doesn't define people, since it's not everything that they are.

Wendy had tears in her eyes, her body trembling while she walked away from us, and she probably had nowhere to go. Being verbally abused like that really had to hurt, and that was definitely uncalled for. I know Lucy will take out Team Natsu for what they did, since their attitudes really make me want to beat them all down. We all just stared at Wendy, not knowing where she would go, but Lucy did something that surprised us all.

She put her left hand on Wendy's left shoulder, making the little blue-haired girl curiously turn around, and Lucy was happily smiling while reaching out her left hand to Wendy. What was she going to do?

"You don't have to feel so alone, Wendy. After all, you're always welcome to be our nakama." Lucy told her with a kind smile, surprising Erza and the rest of us in the process.

"Are you sure, Serena?" Minerva asked, being just as amazed as the rest of us were right now.

"It's no problem at all! We're going to have lots of fun, work hard, and you'll never be treated harshly by anyone ever again. Besides, a weak person can always become strong. Unlike Erza's opinion, you'll never be a failure to me. The kindest flowers always deserve to be appreciated." Serena said while giggling a bit, before Wendy happily hugged her and cried tears of joy from never having gotten such compassion from the most unlikely guild.

* * *

**How was the 24th chapter? Sorry if this was short, but it's a semi-filler chapter. There's some more StiCy, and Wendy now has joined a new guild for her to join our heroes on their journey! Team Flare's up to something, but that's saved for the later arc. What will happen on the final day of the Grand Magic Games? Will Sting overcome his final fear? Will payback be going around, and will the battles be pretty great? Standby for the next update!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting, Lector, Wendy, and I had decided to get some breakfast from the WcDonalds in Crocus for our final day of the Grand Magic Games. This was the day of the survival tournament, and this would be my participating in the event since I had been arrested last year to help Arcadios with the Eclipse Project. Thank goodness that it was stopped indefinitely after all the chaos that occurred as a result of it, and now the Grand Magic Games could go smoothly for me.

Just like in the tag-team battle with Sting, I had planned to use all the elemental stones. I know that the Shadow Stone taking over my body and mind would be really malicious to me and everyone else, but what if it would be used by a clone? Sting hadn't taught me Clone Magic for nothing, since it allowed me and my replications to use multiple stones without draining much power from me.

"Lucy-san, how do you plan to start the event today? Which person do you hope to battle first?" Wendy asked me with a smile on her face while she ate some strawberry pancakes on the plate in front of her.

"Minerva wants us to go by some strategy to take out Fairy Tail, and she told us to avoid people like Jura Neekis and Kagura Mikazuchi. She really should know that will give Fairy Tail their windows of opportunity to gain some points, but I guess Minerva's the leader of our team today." I replied kindly to Wendy, still being unsure of Minerva's intentions.

Wendy asked a really good question, one that had me thinking for a bit. Who would me and my clones go after first? Everyone on Team Natsu seemed pretty much like a first choice, but what about the other Fairy Tail members? I'd still have people like Laxus, Jellal, and Gajeel to deal with. They were certainly tough, and I needed a good strategy for dealing with them if we crossed paths.

Sting added while sitting next to me, giving me an encouraging look, "Knowing Lucy, she can beat people like Jura and Kagura. I just hope Fairy Tail doesn't have the idea of taking you out first, or that'll be pretty bad. However, they may also want to battle the rest of us. We have to do our best today, and I know we'll win."

I knew that we had to win today for Sabertooth, and Fairy Tail obviously had help from Mavis Vermilion for a strategy today. Even though she was a very skilled tactician, every great plan had a small crack. I would find the weaknesses of her plans, since that was the only way to counter Fairy Tail, and I had to make my guild proud. In fact, I didn't even think I gained Minerva's respect yet.

On top of that, Furea was in this event with the rest of Team Flare. We were rivals as well, and I would definitely take her down. Winning for Sabertooth was important, and I began to form an idea. If I couldn't start the correct battles, why not interrupt some? I know it sounded like a cheap move, but some battles had to be interrupted. We would also need the points, too.

I gave Sting a kiss on the lips, admiring his positive attitude, before my violet eyes noticed the clock on the wall. It was 8:50 a.m., and the final day's event was starting in 10 minutes. We all began to eat more of the food we were having for breakfast, as I hurriedly ate my blueberry pancakes while Sting ate his eggs, and then we quickly ran out of the shop to reach the park where our teammates were waiting.

How would this event go down, really? Would it be all-out war? From seeing the rankings on a Lacrima Vision yesterday, after Wendy got her sky blue Sabertooth guild mark on the back of her right hand from Minerva, we were in first place with 80 points. Team Fairy Tail A had 58 points in 2nd place, Team Fairy Tail B was tied with them for second, giving third place to Team Flare with 56 points, and Lamia Scale had 42 points while being in fourth place. Mermaid Heel was in 5th place with 14 points, Blue Pegasus was in sixth place with eight points, and Quatro Cerberus was in last place with no points whatsoever.

* * *

**In the park... (Minerva's POV)**

Sting and Serena had shown up just before the event would start, as usual, and I really didn't plan on losing here. I also refused to let Serena show me up again, so I would take people out pretty quickly. Unlike her stupid belief of being so flashy with power, I believed that a nice one-hit KO was just as effective. Still, my biggest competition was Erza Scarlet. That Nakagami Armor of hers had completely overwhelmed me last year, and I couldn't face something like that.

Remembering how Sting made us lose last year, I had to pick up the slack. He obviously was pathetic like Serena, and her little display of darkness on the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games was probably just her being so theatrical. I doubted those spells actually made her vicious, and I punished Orga for telling me how I had been trembling. I was not scared of Serena being evil, and Orga wasn't competing today because he wanted to see Serena "electrify the town with golden lightning" as he put it.

The survival tournament required five members of a team to compete in this event, so Orga couldn't compete with us. I honestly couldn't believe my thoughts last night, but something told me that Serena would be able to take a hit from Jura and not be knocked out swiftly. She wasn't as good as me in battles, nowhere near my level, so maybe she would be a little useful.

"All right, everyone. Rufus is the key member in our strategy, and he can memorize everyone's positions in this game. He can track movements as well, making it easy for us to win. Anyway, we should just stay in five different areas of Crocus. That will easily assist us with winning the game. Don't try any vengeful maneuvers, Serena. They'll only slow us down." I informed everyone with a focused facial expression, sternly glaring at Serena while hoping she wouldn't stray from the plan.

Chapati announced from the judges' booth in the Domus Flau while sounding excited, "Since it's a new year with new things transpiring, here's how this survival game will work! When a member of a team is defeated, their opponent gets five points for their team! When the last person on a team is knocked out, the opponent's team gets 10 points! That totals up to 30 points, meaning that an extremely fast and strong person could earn 210 points overall for their team by defeating everybody else!"

Yajima commented while folding his arms and looking calm as always, "We shall see who can be the very best, indeed."

A green-haired man wearing a black hat also added while happily smiling, "Greetings, mages. My name is Natural Harmonia Gropius, but you may call me N. I am the guest judge for the final day of the Grand Magic Games. I hope we see some enjoyable battles, and I will be seeing what your magic says about you to me."

I could only grin in satisfaction at this shocking rule change, and I knew there was more than a slight chance for the other teams to finally move up from their losses or keep ascending in wins for their respective guilds. Upon hearing the gong be struck for the event to begin, many of the mages probably began to split up into solos, duos, and trios. The members of Team Sabertooth diverged into five different directions, since we had confidence, each person going on their own. Before I walked away from Serena, I noticed that her violet eyes were filled with determination. Seriously, she better not be like a hooligan and strike down Fairy Tail to show off.

We all walked away from the park bench, but I turned back around to see Serena standing in the same spot where she was. What was she planning to do, be idiotic? I really didn't care what she did while being motionless, since it wouldn't interfere with my strategy. I just had to stay away from Jura, Kagura, and mainly Erza. She probably wanted to destroy me as payback for Serena's actions, so I had to steer clear of her.

My green eyes had noticed Lucy wearing a white shirt and a red miniskirt with some scarlet red flat shoes, but something awkward caught my attention. Serena suddenly ran past me while wearing a light pink T-shirt, a normal pink miniskirt, and some strawberry pink flat shoes. How did she change clothes out here like this, and why did she suddenly appear to be running off somewhere else when I turned my head back to the park bench?

* * *

**In Fairy Tail's booth... (Makarov's POV)**

After seeing that Serena girl use what appeared to be fusion spells, I looked pretty tense from knowing her abnormal spells came from the legendary elemental stones. Erza had told me how that girl could make unorthodox spells, and those stones were no laughing matter. Her spells were similar to the ones used by a dark queen who ruled when the First Master started Fairy Tail, and the history books say that those spells were nothing to sneeze at. Natsu and Lisanna had both fully recovered for today, making things even better.

"First Master, have you come up with a strategy for defeating Serena Fennekin? Is her level of power as dangerous as you sensed it to be?" I curiously asked her with a smile, hoping Laxus would be able to defeat Serena since Natsu had been overwhelmed by her strength.

"I can't seem to find a way to defeat her yet. That dark power has me really concerned, but her other types of magic are of light. They respectfully represent the great eight creatures, from going in rainbow order, Delphox, Golem, Electivire, Sceptile, Blastoise, Gengar, Clefable, and Darkrai. From what history says, these were the eight servants of a dark queen that wielded nearly unstoppable magic. All that we can do is hope that Fairy Tail can win against eight threats in one." Mavis told me with a calm smile on her face while we looked at the Lacrima Vision screen showing Serena in different areas of Crocus.

Wait, what on earth?! Why or how in the world was Serena in eight different parts of the city right now, and why was she wielding a different elemental stone with each screen change? This could not be good, and I think the First Master's comment about her being eight threats in one had really jinxed itself back on our guild. This did not look good, especially since even one of those elemental stones on their own would be really dangerous to go up against.

* * *

**On a street of fashion stores... (Shadow Serena's POV)**

I saw on a nearby Lacrima Vision screen that Lyon and Jura from Lamia Scale took down Rocker and Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus, bringing them up to 52 points. Toby and Yuka were also quick to eliminate Nobarly from the event, giving Lamia Scale five more points. Eve and Ren from Blue Pegasus managed to defeat Semmes and Yaeger, giving Blue Pegasus 10 more points to reach a total of 23. Quatro Cerberus was now out of the event, leaving them in eighth place with zero points.

Well, that was just pathetic. Oh, well. Weeding out the weaklings was important, and only the strong were the ones I wouldn't see as trash. Speaking of the garbage, I had just encountered Erza Scarlet on this street. She was the one who Serena hated for picking on Wendy and trying to hunt her down, and this would be fun. I was in a pretty dark mood right now, ready to kill and have some malicious fun.

"Hello, Serena. I'm going to come at you with everything I have today, since you keep interfering in Fairy Tail's matters. You're a really troublesome pest, almost like Minerva." Erza harshly told me, requipping into what appeared to be her Heaven's Wheel Armor while shooting a death glare at me. Well, this would be interesting. Having someone fighting against the ancient epitome of death... I would enjoy this.

"I guess that this might put me in the mood to enjoy the taste of your blood, Erza Scarlet. You don't look so tough, but I guess playing with you will be enjoyable. Let's see if you can fight against the clone of malice, the Shadow Stone in its sole grand power while not having any other types of magic sap it greatly. I'm in the mood to fight, pretty much ready." I responded evilly, maliciously smirking at the thought of annihilating Fairy Tail.

Erza was quick to use a move known as Blumenblatt, making 200 swords appear above her in midair, and she sent them all down towards me with the intention to end this fast. However, I could not be defeated by mere moves like that. With an obvious counterattack, I activated the eighth fusion spell that was known as Shadow Shatter. Erza's swords were creating shadows on the ground, perfect for 200 shadowy hands to emerge upward from the ground and grab her weapons. The swords turned black like my shadows, and all of their energy was transferred to me before they shattered into black dust.

This next spell went perfectly with Shadow Shatter, and the tenth fusion spell was known as Shadow Rend. This spell took all the energy from the 200 swords, and reflected it back at Erza in the form of 200 curved black beams of energy. She quickly requipped into what appeared to be her Adamantine Armor, but that wasn't enough to stop me. Shadow Rend was obviously an attack, but the shadows could explode and slice through any defenses. Many black blasts of energy occurred, damaging the street and the stores, and Erza's armor could be heard shattering into pieces while I inhaled the delicious black smoke clouds of malice.

She hastily changed into her Flame Empress Armor, having a Flame Sword, and she ran towards me rather quickly. She had stabbed me directly in the neck, but I simply sunk down into the shadows while reappearing behind her with no signs of damage. The shadows always healed their dark master quickly, and I activated my 9th fusion spell known as Shadow Dance.

The shadows around us began to turn into swords that I was able to pick up, and I slashed at the air with tremendous power. At first, nothing seemed to happen. However, the strike was actually coming towards Erza from the shadow in front of her. It made a black explosion occur, sending her rolling backwards while I kept evilly laughing. Modern morons couldn't handle the ancient aces, it seems.

My 10th spell was known as Shadowy Silence, and it made eight small spheres of black energy emit a large white light while they floated high in the air above us. While Erza was blinded, my dark balls struck her one by one and created many miniature black blasts of energy in the process. They were slamming themselves against her with brutal force, sending her crashing through a nearby building. She got up while being wounded and covered in blood, a look of rage on her face.

Wow, this battle was making her enraged. That was quite pathetic for someone who kicked out Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail, and hurting Wendy was even crueler than what I would do. She charged at me while now being in her Black Wing Armor, flying down towards me like a fool. I simply used the 11th spell, Shadow Hole, and it was pretty clever. Right before Erza got to me, a black hole appeared in front of her. She looked shocked at its appearance, moving too fast to stop herself from going through it, and the black hole made her reappear from above with a black sphere of energy following her at high speeds. It struck her in the back, creating another large blast of black energy, and Erza was coughing up blood.

However, I showed no sympathy whatsoever. My next spell, Shadow Liquid, would definitely do the trick for sure. I spat out black liquid from my mouth, landing directly on Erza's left arm, and my lovely black liquid drilled through her arm while causing her great discomfort. It also had the side effect of making that arm melt with black liquid, but it would regenerate normally later as well as fully healing the target. After all, my future servants must be alive for manipulation.

I currently looked down at my black T-shirt and white miniskirt, and my black flat shoes were pretty comfortable. To show Erza that I wasn't only an expert with explosive moves, my 13th spell would really be slamming down that statement. With my red eyes looking at the rubble from the many damaged buildings, I simply took their shadows and formed an enormous shadowy hand with them. The hand was high in the air, obscuring the shining sun, and it came down upon Erza with immense power and speed. This attack nearly destroyed the entire street, and it made many cracks in the earth.

"Serena... You're so merciless... Fighting for the sake of Lucy and Wendy, people who shouldn't have even been any of your concern. Why does all your hatred come from there? Did Minerva tell you to come here and fight me like the coward she is? Is Lucy watching this, scared like the weakling she is?" Erza asked me in a rude tone, struggling to stand while coughing up more blood and breathing heavily.

Harshly glaring at her with vicious intentions in my red eyes, I responded darkly, "How dare you call Minerva a coward, seeing as you couldn't go find Lucy Heartfilia yourself. You are just dirty scum, Erza Scarlet, and I am now growing bored with you. Time for my fourteenth and final fusion spell of Darkrai Magic, Shadow Demon's Black Reign of the Dark World!"

In an instant, many black drill-like shadows rose up from the white light appearing underground. They went high into the air, surrounding Crocus, but they were all locked on Erza. With a simple melodic and haunting hum of the music that played in Lavender Town, the copious amount of black drills spun fast while charging down towards Erza at high speeds. They tore through her body while creating numerous black blasts of energy that filled the skies in a massive maelstrom of shadows, and Erza's screams were music to my ears. Of course, I hadn't used enough force to kill her. The melody of Lavender Town played through the shadows in the air, sounding rather chilling to the judges and audience, but I certainly loved how ghostly it sounded.

When the large tower of shadows faded away, leaving behind black smoke for me to inhale, Erza Scarlet was unconscious in a large crater. She had taken quite a lot of damage from my final move, and she was bleeding pretty badly from taking my attack at full force. I commanded my shadows to make a black aura surround her body, healing her completely, before I vanished into the shadows to check out other people's fights in this little game. I had also gained 5 points for Team Sabertooth, and my shadow blasts could also be warped elsewhere. They had eliminated all the members of Mermaid Heel, giving Team Sabertooth 30 more points. With my task done, I could only leave the next fights up to the others for a while...

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Minerva's POV)**

Upon seeing all those black explosions, I could only guess that Serena was showing off again. A Lacrima Vision screen appeared in the air to inform me that we now had 120 points while all the members of Team Mermaid Heel had also been wiped out from the event. They were now finished in 7th place with 14 points, and Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail got defeated by Serena!

Honestly, straying from my perfect plan was a really bad move for her to pull. The crowd was cheering wildly for her, but nine members of Fairy Tail still remained. I couldn't beat Erza, yet Serena came along and nearly destroyed her! That did not happen. Serena could not be strong enough to do that, being so totally merciless while using one spell after another.

I was not jealous at all, knowing Rufus would defeat Gray. He had wanted to get even with that ice mage for a while now, and that would be something great to see. Surely he would win this time, and Serena's grudge against Fairy Tail probably wouldn't apply here. Besides, the library was far from the fashion stores of Crocus. By the time Serena would get there, she couldn't get any glory whatsoever.

* * *

**At the library... (Gray's POV)**

Rufus and I crossed paths once again the library where the First Master predicted he would be, and we were getting ready to do battle once again. I was definitely going to win for Fairy Tail, and Sabertooth would go down. However, the sound of the library's doors being blasted over by what appeared to be blue energy had put a halt to our rematch. I turned around, gasping in shock like Rufus shortly did after.

"Serena, why are you here and how did you change clothes so quickly? Weren't you just victorious over Erza near the fashion stores? You know I can handle this, right?" Rufus asked her in a calm tone while looking curious like me as to why she was here, of all places.

I had no problem with fighting two opponents at once, but the fierce look in Serena's violet eyes caused me to freeze up a bit. What did she want from us? I know that she was mad at Natsu for what happened with Wendy, but what did she need from the library? I still had to calm down and stay completely focused if I wanted to win, but her response to Rufus' question made my dark blue eyes widen in amazement.

"This doesn't concern you, Rufus, so leave or hide right now. I have some business to take care of with Gray, and let's just say that it's not water under the bridge. He can keep his cool, but on a past day... He froze me out, and this is going to be what's known as delivering payback." She replied sternly while frowning at me, the Water Stone emitting a blue glow in her hands.

* * *

**How was the 25th chapter? The Grand Magic War Game has begun, and many fights shall take place in this three-part arc! Each of Lucy's clones has a different personality, since using Clone Magic like this divides Lucy's emotions as well. ****Will Gray come to a realization about something involving Serena? Will Lyon and Chelia have to deal with Serena as well? Will Mira and Elfman want revenge for Lisanna? Standby for the update!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

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**Gray's POV**

Rufus and I both looked bewildered at the fact that Serena was here right now, but why was she even here? Rufus and I were both looking forward to having our rematch, but then she suddenly appeared and made the library's atmosphere feel really awkward. I looked over at Rufus, only to receive a puzzled look from the masked mage. He didn't know why Serena was here, and something told me this wasn't part of Sabertooth's strategy.

As I noticed that she was dressed in blue clothing, looking pretty cool, the way how she looked at me so sternly was freaking me out. Her violet eyes gave me the weirdest feeling, and I knew those abnormal spells would be hard to get through. This battle really would be difficult, especially since I remembered how she took out Natsu and Lisanna so easily in the tag battle.

"You heard me, Rufus. This battle has nothing to do with you, so leave. It's strictly between me and Gray, since we have a bit of past business to deal with. He probably doesn't know what I'm talking about, but I remember it all. You and Team Natsu really got on my bad side, Gray." Serena told both of us, harshly glaring at me while Rufus used this chance to teleport out of here with his Memory-Make Magic.

"What in the world are you saying? You're a member of Sabertooth, not Fairy Tail. Are you trying to say we've met before?" I asked curiously, wanting to know what her problem was with me.

I didn't know what she was after, but it seemed like I had no choice but to fight. By the way that her Water Stone was glowing, this was one fight that I couldn't run away from. I had to use my ice abilities to finish this fast, wanting that rematch with Rufus, so I used Ice-Make: Bringer to create two swords in my hands. I ran towards Serena at high speeds, and I slashed her in half with my two swords.

However, she suddenly turned into a puddle of water like Juvia would and she reformed herself perfectly with no noticeable injuries. Serena used what was said to be her second fusion spell of Water Magic, and it was known as Water Laser. Her violet eyes turned blue, glowing with energy, and she shot out a large blue beam from her left eye. It hit me in the stomach, pushing me backwards into a bookshelf, but something told me this spell came with a catch.

"Water Laser is mostly meant for assisting other attacks, but you'll soon see what I have done." She told me in a rather cold tone, smirking a bit like she had some kind of plan.

Ignoring all of her big talk, knowing I actually could take her down with one strike, I shot out ten large icicles from my hands. They were all headed straight for her, but they were suddenly surrounded by a blue aura. She touched my icicles with ease, absorbing their power, and my icicles quickly shattered into dust. She then shot out a huge volume of blue water from her mouth, and it created a blue blast of energy when the attack hit me with all of that power. Serena told me how that spell was known as Hydro Pump, a strong spell of Water Magic, and she was just getting started.

Quickly thinking that she couldn't handle short-range attacks, I charged towards her with a hammer of ice in my hands. Much to my shock, however, all of her water on the floor transformed into six blue whirlpools and tried attacking me quickly. I dodged one of the whirlpools, only to have three more surround me in a triangular formation before simultaneously striking me to create three sky blue explosions. The power of these attacks was really fearsome, and they sent me crashing into a nearby bookshelf.

I shouted at her while looking a bit miffed, "Man, your attacks are really causing damage! They're way too unorthodox as well! I can't predict the movements or sense anything from such weird moves like those!"

"The fourth fusion spell, Poseidon's Whirlpools, can allow me to manipulate water into whirlpools. I can also control their power, speed, and density. Basically, you were just too unprepared for me. You and the others may have followed the strategy of Mavis that involved defeating Rufus, but haste will make waste if you aren't very careful about your opponent's intentions." She sternly responded, glaring at me like I had really offended her in some way.

How was she from my past? How did Serena know me? I had never even seen her until the Grand Magic Games, and she was never a member of Fairy Tail. I didn't know anything about her, but she seemed like she really hated me. Realizing that I had to end this fast, one of my trump cards had to be used. Placing my hands on the ground, I froze the library's floor while a white tidal wave of ice emerged from underground to strike Serena with me standing on top of the wave.

Much to my surprise, Serena suddenly grew a light blue tail that resembled a Squirtle's tail. She jumped into the air, spinning like a Chimchar using Flame Wheel, and her light blue tail glowed when she brutally slammed it against my ice wave. This move was known as Aqua Tail, and its power broke my icy wave into many small pieces. Seriously, would she not show me any mercy or let me get one attack in?

Having to use my last resort move, knowing this would finish off anyone in one shot, I used my Ice-Make Magic to create a large cannon out of ice. It shot out several chunks of ice into the air, and they would explode when they fell down to the ground to strike their target while also freezing it. The ten chunks of ice came down upon Serena, and I knew this battle would end right here.

However, Serena narrowed her violet eyes at me and used what would be her sixth fusion spell of Water Magic. This spell was known as Briny Bubbles, and she shot out ten of them from her mouth. All of the ice on the floor began to float toward the bubbles, attracted to them like they were magnets, making me drop my jaw. The abnormality of her spells was too great for me to comprehend, and the bubbles grew larger while also radiating with a sky blue glow. When they made the slightest amount of contact with my ice, the sky blue blasts filled the library while also making it violently shake in the process. Several books came down near me, but blue bubbles of water surrounded them while also strangely lining them up single file in front of me with a few gaps in between the books.

I looked back at Serena, seeing her maintain that stern facial expression, and I definitely had to think before I spoke. Why was Serena so cold and bitter with me? She said how we had past business to deal with, and how she remembered me doing something to hurt her. How did she even know about Team Natsu, saying we got on her bad side? At that moment, the past came back to hit me like a ton of bricks. All those things she said sounded so vengeful, like she wanted payback. Like Lucy wanted payback!

There was no way. My mind was going crazy right now from this realization, and I couldn't believe it. Could Serena Fennekin be Lucy Heartfilia? This was impossible, since I went to Lumiose before. I didn't see Lucy or Serena around when Erza told me to do a solo search, and we all thought Lucy was far away somewhere by now. Master Makarov told us to cease with the search for her, but I didn't think that this would happen! However, were my assumptions even correct?

"L-L-Lu..." I said while looking completely freaked out by that fierce look in her violet eyes, my assumptions making me tremble in fear like I was seeing a ghost.

"Too late to use any more ice, Gray! Let's put some heat to this water, and finish this! The final fusion spell, Kyogre's Legendary Superior Scalding Slam!" She shouted fiercely, stretching out her arms towards me with her hands open.

This attack came out in the form of a small vortex of hot water, but it grew bigger when it tore through the first book in that line in front of me. With every book it destroyed, her attack grew larger, faster, and probably stronger. I could feel the heat, hotter than any flames Natsu could create, and her attack was evolving! I tried throwing more books at it, but the stream of hot water just kept growing!

It was at an extremely massive size, and the attack struck me head on while also creating an extremely large sky blue blast of energy. This attack definitely knocked me out, obliterating the library as well, and I could hear the entire crowd gasping in shock. I couldn't even move after taking that attack, and its huge burns caused me even more discomfort. The library crumbled down on to me with a massive slam, and Serena turned into a puddle of water while leaving me bloodied and bruised like this. Sabertooth gained 5 more points, and now I was eliminated from the event.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Chelia's POV)**

Lyon, Toby, Yuka, and I stood in the botanical gardens of Crocus while staring down Serena Fennekin from Team Sabertooth. She wore a green T-shirt, a dark green miniskirt, and some light green flat shoes. She looked pretty confident, standing before all four of us, and I decided to smile happily while starting off this battle with Sky God's Bellow.

I unleashed massive streams of black air from my mouth, but Serena made the rock and roll symbol with her right hand while a green aura surrounded her body. She grabbed my attack with her right hand, turning it emerald green, and the attack was quickly redirected at Yuka while hitting him with enough force to create an emerald green explosion. Serena told me that this spell was known as Wind Redirection, her second fusion spell of Wind Magic, and it really did seem powerful.

"The great Serena Fennekin really is as good as they say. Well, this shall truly be a pleasurable challenge." Lyon said while looking confident, creating some ice eagles to shoot straight at our opponent.

"Don't forget that this stone contains two elements, boys and girls. It's time for me to show you how wicked cool this can be, and this third fusion spell ought to do the trick." Serena responded with a calm smile, giggling a bit.

She activated a spell known as Wood Hammer, causing her left arm to glow green, but Toby ran towards her before she could run to us. He tried slashing at Serena with his claws, only to have her dodge quickly while riding the wind, and she slammed her left arm down on to Toby's head. He had taken quite a lot of damage from that seemingly powerful strike, but Serena clutched her arm in pain because of the recoil effect. However, she inhaled air to suddenly ease her pain. The Leaf/Wind Stone was certainly powerful, and how would we fare against it?

My blue eyes were filled with uncertainty for a second, but Lyon's ice eagles had managed to hit Serena! They had all made her feel extremely cold for a moment, but the grassy terrain kept on healing her injuries. She kept remaining calm while explaining that a user of the elemental stones could absorb power from various elements, and the powerful look in her violet eyes made me realize this fight really would be tough.

She used her fourth fusion spell, Bullet Seed, causing her to shoot green seeds from her mouth at a high velocity. The projectiles created miniature pale green explosions of energy when they hit the ground, but the four us managed to evade Serena's onslaught. Wow, she was really tough. I see why Sting Eucliffe admired her, and I could see why she did most of the work in the tag battle.

"We should just retreat for now! She's way too strong!" Toby said with a fearful look on his face while we all kept seeing that calm look on Serena's face.

"Come on, dude! Don't be so quick to run when I'm just starting to have some fun! Time for the fifth spell, Energy Ball!" Serena shouted happily while opening her mouth, showing us a green ball of energy that was forming inside of it.

She fired it at Toby, causing a large pale green blast to form, and we could all hear him howl in pain. Her spell also had the interesting aftereffect of creating emerald green Pidgeot feathers float through the air, and I couldn't believe that someone could be so skilled while having such a high amount of unorthodox spells. She was definitely great like Jura-san, making me wonder if only he could defeat Serena.

Lyon told us all while still looking pretty confident, as he created 10 ice serpents to lunge towards our enemy, "No matter how great Serena Fennekin is, even if she did defeat Gray, she cannot beat me! My ice serpents can freeze anything they come into contact with, and this large amount of Pidgeot feathers must be her way of somehow trying to insult us!"

As I saw the snakes lunge towards Serena, many emerald green blasts of energy began to fill the botanical garden center of Crocus. The Pidgeot feathers were exploding at such a fast rate, Serena told me that this was one of her best spells. It was known as Pidgeot's Detonation, and it could only be used right after a spell of Plant Magic was also used. This spell's power was tremendous, and the many blasts sent us all into the sky! Serena from Sabertooth beat us, claiming 20 points for her guild, and Obaba-san would spin us all for sure.

Toby, Yuka, Lyon, and I all said simultaneously while we were going through the air with shocked facial expressions, "Team Lamia Scale's blasting off to somewhere!"

* * *

**Concurrently... (Elfman's POV)**

Man, this search is not going well. Mira-nee and I have seen Serena on the Lacrima Vision screens, but we haven't seen her in person. While she flew through the air in her Satan Soul form, I decided to be on foot while checking for places where she could be hiding. I looked very cautious, having heard the stories of Serena being unorthodox, and she could probably pop out of nowhere.

That girl had the powers of a real man, maybe even eight men, but me and my older sister had to make her pay for what happened to Lisanna. No one was allowed to get away with hurting our sister in such a vicious manner, but even I was a bit scared of Serena. Erza had made us all be on our guard today, and I nearly shook a bit when I heard soft footsteps in front of me.

"I may have hurt Lisanna, but the honorable warrior does not fight battles that lead to unnecessary conflicts. If you and Mirajane want to take me on, then go right ahead." Serena Fennekin told me in a fearsome manner while she slowly turned around to face me.

This Serena looked different from the ones I saw on the Lacrima Vision screens, since her attire was different. She wore a light purple T-shirt with an orchid purple miniskirt, and her flat shoes were amethyst purple. Something about this girl gave me a bad feeling, like I should stay away from her, and her eyes really showed a look that confused me.

"What's your reason for doing all of this in the Grand Magic Games?" I curiously asked Serena, hoping to get an answer.

"Well, that should be kept secret. I did overhear a little something about Lucy Heartfilia, though. She's returning to Fairy Tail." Serena told me with a cunning smirk on her face, before disappearing into a puff of purple smoke right before my eyes.

What did she just say? Lucy Heartfilia was returning to Fairy Tail? That wasn't exactly little news, since we all thought she was gone. I even searched all over Hoenn for her, but I found nothing. Despite winning all eight badges for the Hoenn League, I didn't even see Lucy in Ever Grande City. However, what if that rumor was meant to throw me off of something? This was puzzling, even more mysterious than the guild known as Team Flare.

However, a man couldn't let some things pass by. I had to be confident about facing this woman, especially to avenge my younger sister. She had already been presumed dead once, and I couldn't let something like that happen again. Even though Serena had just disappeared, something about her was strange to me. She had a different smell, but it was also familiar...

* * *

**How was the 26th chapter? I apologize if the survival tournament is going slow right now with the short chapters, but it can't all be about Lucy getting payback. There will be more StiCy in the next chapter, and some more things will be revealed. Who will win the survival tournament? Will Lucy encourage Sting to not admit defeat? Will Team Flare use the end of the games as their beginning? Standby for the update, and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

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**Sting's POV**

Lector and I were currently hiding behind a building on the historical street of art and museums in Crocus, waiting for this thing to be over, and I was hoping that Sabertooth would win this time. We had just ran away from Laxus Dreyar, despite his back being turned to us, and I didn't want to get into any confrontations with Fairy Tail. Those guys had glares that could strike fear into people's hearts, and that made me remember how I surrendered last year like a fool.

I didn't want to let down Lucy and the others, but Fairy Tail was full of tough people. Erza could easily annihilate me for what happened in the tag battle, and that woman was tough enough to take out 100 monsters. She was scary, and I didn't want to even know what all those explosive blasts were caused by. Upon seeing the Lacrima Vision screen in the air, Sabertooth had 145 points. Wow, that was a lot. Either Serena was kicking asses or Minerva got brutal.

The Lacrima Vision screen also let me know that Furea from Team Flare had just taken out Juvia and Cana from Team Fairy Tail B, giving 10 more points to Team Flare. I still had no clue why they entered the Grand Magic Games in the first place, since they weren't even a guild. However, this had to have something to do with the elemental stones. Upon hearing footsteps coming from behind, I prepared to interrogate those guys.

"Sting? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out beating up people right now?" Lucy a.k.a. Serena happily asked me with a smile on her face while she jumped down from the building to meet with me and Lector.

I replied with a somewhat depressed look on my face, my blue eyes not having their usual confidence, ""I just don't want to get killed, ok? With people like Erza, Laxus, and Gajeel in Fairy Tail, I just got a little afraid of them taking their anger out on me for what happened in the tag battle yesterday. I'm so sorry if I sound like a total coward right now, but I just get scared when I have to face tough things alone sometimes."

Lucy told me with a confident look on her face, taking my hands into hers while she sat down on the ground with me, "Sting, don't worry about a thing! My clones already took out Erza and Gray, and look at our number of points! We have the majority right now, and we're in first place! Besides, this event is also timed because the city has to rebuilt quickly for the citizens of Crocus."

She softly kissed my left cheek to let me know that everything would be okay, and a small smile formed on my face. When Lucy needed comfort, I was always there for her. Now she was being there for me, being my cheerleader and motivator, and I really enjoyed that. She was so confident, lifting up my spirits when I was feeling down, and I had to get back into this to show her how cool I could be.

Lucy currently wore a scarlet red T-shirt with a cherry red miniskirt, and her flat shoes were red like delicious apples. She always looked so appealing to me, and her smile was one of the things I really loved about her. She was getting stronger as well, making me an even prouder instructor. I was really glad that the fusion spells were paying off, especially since Lucy made them so powerful and so cool.

We saw on a Lacrima Vision screen that Jura Neekis and one of Serena's clones had crossed paths in front of a church, and I slightly gulped in anticipation at how a match like that would go down. Jura was a user of Earth Magic, and this clone of Serena had the Earth Stone with her. How would this battle rock the earth? It made Lucy clench her fists and give her clone a glare that said something like "Show how much I've grown. Not just to Fairy Tail, but to everyone."

Orga had been taken out easily by Jura, from what I remember, and I had to wonder if Lucy knew what she was doing. This guy was no pushover, that's for sure. Like Laxus, he was pretty strong. Could Lucy really take him on? I was hoping she would be careful against this guy, especially since he was a Wizard Saint. While they called him Iron Rock Jura, I referred to Lucy's clone as Elite Stone Serena.

* * *

**In front of the church... (Jura's POV)**

Well, this was interesting. I didn't expect to encounter the great Serena Fennekin so soon, and I had actually been looking forward to fighting someone who also had great control over Earth Magic like I did. She may have looked more fashionable than tough, but I could sense the enormous amount of magical power that she was emitting. I still looked confident, however, knowing I could win.

"I finally have the chance to battle you, Serena. This shall be a true test of will." I told her with a confident look, hoping she would make things more interesting than Orga did.

"Oh, yeah! I'm totally psyched up for this! Bring it on, old man! I'll show you the power of earth, especially with my super secret killer moves!" She replied while looking hyped up for this, giving me a smirk of confidence while she appeared to be planning something.

Keeping my guard up, knowing her spells were extremely abnormal, I quickly made some pillars rise up from underground and lunge towards her in a curved trajectory. She looked pretty confident, but then she muttered something about her 2nd fusion spell of Earth Magic. It was known as Sand Birds, and it caused her to make my earth pillars crumble immediately. The rocks turned into sand, taking the form of ten small birds, and they came flying towards me at fast speeds.

I put my palms together, making Rock Mountain emerge around me from underground, and I could see parts of the orange energy blasts that were occurring as a result of her attack and my defense colliding. There were nine orange blasts, so where had that last sand bird gone to? When Rock Mountain fell apart, my eyes widened a bit from seeing an orange blast transpire from behind my shield. The orange blast appeared to be spinning, meaning that last sand bird was used like a drill. I must admit, this opponent had me interested already.

Deciding to test her abilities even more, I sent many of the leftover rocks towards her with great power and speed. However, she activated what seemed to be her third fusion spell of Earth Magic. It was known as Clay Dough, causing the ground in front of her to turn brown and look gooey like clay. It rose up to form a large wall, absorbing the impact of my boulders, and the gooey ground sent them back at me. I countered with Iron Rock Wall, creating many large rectangular slabs to cancel out her attack. More orange blasts of energy occurred, obliterating my rock walls, and sending me sliding back a few feet.

"You have very unorthodox attacks, I'll say that." I told her with a confident smirk on my face, sensing such immense power from those blasts.

"If you thought that was crazy, check this out! Time for the fourth fusion spell, Earth Power!" She shouted fiercely, an orange aura surrounding her body, and Serena jumped into the air before coming down on the ground with her feet making a massive slam.

Several cracks formed around the area where we were standing, and many orange explosions occurred. She really had clever ideas, and her attack propelled us both into the air. I imagined that her spells wouldn't be useful in the air, but I had been proved wrong by that assumption. Serena made several rocks float into the air, touching them to suddenly turn them into sand, and she even had the childish trick of throwing sand into my eyes. I could see her deliver a slamming kick to my chest, sending me down to the ground with several shuriken made out of sand.

The shuriken had all exploded in the forms of miniature orange blasts when they touched the ground, and I managed to get the sand out of my eyes. This girl really was tricky to deal with, since I wasn't expecting her to make the earth gooey for a soft shield or harden sand to make explosions occur. I still maintained my confidence, however, being a Wizard Saint.

"How did you like my Sandstorm Blasts, Jura? Not only do they have the great effect of causing so much damage, but I can even use the sand for myself." She told me while still seeming fierce, making me watch with curiosity as she inhaled all the sand like she was some kind of Dragon Slayer. When it was all quickly inhaled, an orange aura surrounded her body while it began to spiral around her.

Seeing this as my chance to strike while she was swallowing it all, I ran towards her and slammed her into the ground with a few karate chops to her body. She surprisingly didn't react, and my last karate chop to her head had slammed her into the ground. She wasn't moving after I had done something like that, and I truly thought that I had won this match.

However, extremely surprising to me, her body began turning brown like sand and breaking apart like a shell. I looked astounded by this sight, seeing her crack into pieces, and a twister of sand appeared behind me. It quickly faded away when Serena stepped out of it unharmed, making me widen my eyes in disbelief, causing me to wonder how on earth could she have such great control over such abnormal moves.

"I am nearly speechless at the kinds of things you are capable of, Serena. I plan to really go all out with my next attack, you know." I told her with an impressed look, wondering what she would do next.

"That's funny, Mr. Wizard Saint. I've already got my final move set up, and let's just say that I can give the ground a soft shell with a very hard impact. If you liked Earth Shell, then say hello to Mudslide Mold!" She replied while strangely moving both of her arms in a circular motion, making me curious as to what kind of trick she had up her sleeve now.

The ground around us was turning into brown mud that rose up from the ground, moving in a circular motion like Serena's arms, and the mud formed the shape of a giant Garchomp. It jumped high above us like a towering figure, and Serena's attack came down directly on me to create a massive orange blast of Earth Magic. Its tremendous force tore through many of the buildings, and it also made Crocus become extremely muddy in the process. That massive blast left me beaten down and bloody from taking the full force of that attack, and I lost consciousness with a smile of acknowledgement on my face. Serena was as great as the rumors said she was, to have even defeated me.

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

After seeing that, Sting and I could only cheer and hug each other in happiness. One of my clones had defeated Jura, the fifth-strongest Wizard Saint of Lamia Scale, and we had gained 10 more points for Team Sabertooth. We now had 155 points, more than any of the six remaining teams, but Fairy Tail was catching up to us. Gajeel had defeated all the members of Blue Pegasus, gaining 30 points for Team Fairy Tail A, and all five members of Team Flare had surrendered to Elfman while having mysterious smirks on their faces.

I had to wonder what Furea could be thinking, and what Team Flare was doing. Both of the Fairy Tail teams were now tied for second place with 88 points, leaving Team Flare in third place with 66 points. After what they had done to Juvia, those guys had to have some reason for entering this tournament. They already had tons of money, so what more could they want?

Speaking of wants, I knew that I'd be in hot water with Minerva for going against her strategy for this final day. I had really upstaged her on this final day, something she really hated, and Minerva never liked it when I stole the spotlight from her. She appeared on the Lacrima Vision screen that Sting and I were looking at, making me look fierce for a debate about this.

"Serena, what is the meaning of ruining my perfect plan like this? You always have to flaunt your little moves and try to be the queen here, don't you? We may have won, but you're going to get it for making me not look impressive at all!" Minerva sternly told me with a death glare on her face, growling angrily from seeing Sting with his left arm around my waist, and she probably might kill me.

"I'm not trying to do anything, Minerva! I just wanted to win some battles and make Sabertooth proud! I don't see why you have a problem with me, since we use different types of magic! We both want to win for the same guild, but the ways that we go about doing things couldn't any more different!" I retorted harshly, ready to find Minerva and beat her up in this tournament.

Minerva responded while smirking evilly, almost as if she knew me so well to know what greatly struck my nerves, "You only get so worked up to impress Sting all the time, always showing off to get his kisses. You and Sting always get romantic, and I bet that dark power stuff was staged for you to get Sting emotional and love you so much. Back when he was dating me, he loved what was under my bath towel!"

"Don't call Sting a pervert, you strict bitch! He loves me now, and you're jealous that he was in the hot spring with me! He was kissing me, his new girlfriend, and you're old news to him! Stop trying to chase after him, because it's not going to work! By the way, you're not as beautiful as you think you are!" I countered, fierceness building up in my violet eyes while I wanted to beat up Minerva right now.

Before our conversation could continue, the judge's bell rang and the Lacrima Vision screens began to disappear. This meant that the time had run out for the final day's event, and magic was being used to rebuild all of the damaged parts of the city. I dispelled all of my clones, seeing the white puffs of smoke appear, and the final rankings were on a Lacrima Vision screen that appeared in the air.

Sabertooth was in first place with 145 points, Fairy Tail was in 2nd with 88 points, Team Flare had 66 points in 3rd place, Lamia Scale got 4th with 57 points, Blue Pegasus had 5th place with 23 points, Mermaid Heel had 6th place and 14 points, and Quatro Cerberus had seventh place with zero points. The crowd began to cheer, and Sting victoriously hugged me.

"We totally won this time! We won the tournament, and it's mostly thanks to you! Sabertooth is the best guild in Fiore again, and that's so awesome! I knew that all of our training wasn't for nothing, Serena! You blazed, shook, shocked, blew away, got flowery, watered up, darkened, poisoned, and dawned your awesomeness on everybody!" Sting told me with a proud smile on his face, hugging me tightly.

I couldn't even have words to say, really. My new guild had triumphed over the guild of my past, and I had really done it. I really had become stronger, much stronger than I ever thought I could be, and all my hard work had paid off. Just like when I defeated Natsu and Lisanna, I could only smile at the fact that my new self was stronger than my past self.

"I didn't win this tournament on my own, Sting. You helped me and inspired me to become much stronger than ever. You greatly assisted me with all of your training, and every job that we took together just kept deepening our chemistry. You even helped me defeat my ex-boyfriend, and I can't thank you enough." I responded with a cherry red blush on my face, getting lost in his beautiful blue eyes.

As he pressed his lips against mine while we both closed our eyes, I didn't know that we were on a Lacrima Vision screen for everyone in Crocus to see. The crowd was cheering wildly for me and Sting, and people from the other guilds were applauding for us. I broke the kiss for a moment while continuing to blush, as Sting and I held hands, and we ran to the Domus Flau for the great award ceremony.

* * *

**30 minutes later... (Cana's POV)**

I was really happy to now have a friend that was in Sabertooth, and I was even more happy to see Lucy and her other new nakama standing in the center of the Domus Flau with proud smiles on their faces. They deserved to win in this event, and even Master Makarov and Levy both looked very proud. After all, Lucy had great strength as Serena Fennekin and she wasn't using her spells for evil.

Everyone in Fairy Tail, except Team Natsu, looked pretty proud of her for being so powerful. I still couldn't believe that she was that strong, and her spells were really cool as well. Sabertooth was now the best guild in Fiore, and winning the Grand Magic Games was a big accomplishment for Lucy. She was holding hands with Sting, her violet eyes having happiness in them, and then Chapati came out on to the field.

"As the emcees would say in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova leagues, I present the trophy to the winners of this competition! Team Sabertooth, everybody! They truly have power, and they have reclaimed the title of the best guild in Fiore! Let's all give them a rousing round of applause, everybody!" Chapati announced excitedly, looking utterly thrilled while Yajima handed the giant gold trophy to Minerva.

I could definitely see Erza, Natsu, and Lisanna booing, mainly because Lucy a.k.a. Serena had beaten them all up so badly. However, Gray kept giving her this scared look. What was going on over there with him? Ever since he fought one of Serena's clones, Gray looked really freaked out. Something really shook him up pretty badly during that fight, but what was it?

Mavis had been crying, due to her predictions being far-off this year, and Master Makarov was trying to comfort her. I had to tell him sometime soon about what Erza and the others had done to make Lucy leave Fairy Tail, since he had been investigating the elemental stones and many myths surrounding them in the Sinnoh region. Erza had temporarily been put in charge, which wasn't exactly the best idea.

Lucy had really surprised me throughout this tournament, especially on that fourth day. Who knew that her level of power was so extreme? I was still impressed by that, and even Juvia was happy for someone who had taken down Gray. Then again, from what Wendy told me, Serena must've been the one who freed Juvia from some kind of heart control that she was under. It made me wonder if Team Natsu was suffering from that as well, since they had been acting weird ever since they took on a mission without Lucy that involved going to the Chroma Highlands where strange black mist could be seen. How much of it had they inhaled, or was something else controlling them?

While I was in my thoughts, the closing ceremony for the Grand Magic Games had ended with Team Sabertooth walking out of the Domus Flau. They were obviously headed toward that fancy black train known as the Excess Express, the train that traveled all the way to extravagant towns like Lumiose, and Team Sabertooth also got the reward of 100 million jewels.

Wendy and Jiemma also left Sabertooth's booth with the Exceeds that had accompanied them, and Carla had decided to go to Sabertooth yesterday since Wendy was her best friend. I had told her about Lucy's secret, and Carla had promised to keep quiet about it. Still, those guys from Team Flare didn't seem like the casual competitors. Something about them had me suspicious, as if they had some intention. I don't know those guys, but they give me the creeps.

* * *

**Meanwhile... (Furea's POV)**

Even though we didn't put on the best performance for all those spectators, we accomplished our mission without any snags whatsoever. Serena Fennekin unleashed all that great power for us, even reaching numbers like 956 thousand, and her power was definitely what Team Flare needed for us to get the legendary treasure from underneath Lumiose.

I really do want to fight her, though, but before we have our attention fully on Serena... There's another guild that has to be taken care of immediately. Fairy Tail will definitely get in the way of our plans, so releasing the heart control may be a great idea at this point. After all, they'd revert back to their normal selves after causing Serena so much damage. Since they already look bad, we'll make them look much worse.

They won't even know that they aren't the main cause of it, but Vivian should be a pretty good piece of our plan. Fairy Tail lost Wendy, but they'll gain a new member with too good of a purpose. I swear, those fools will be idiotic enough to give us enough time for the ultimate plan to come to fruition. What a pleasure it shall be to crush Fairy Tail, and all it takes is a little bit of Lucy Heartfilia...

* * *

**How was the 27th chapter? Pretty interesting, huh? Sabertooth wins the Grand Magic Games, but that's not the end yet! There's still more StiCy to come, and it will be pretty lovely to see. The Fairy Tail side will also be expanded, too. Mirajane still remembers what Jenny told her, by the way. Will she go to Lumiose to find Lucy? Will Sting and Lucy be having more romance? How will Makarov react to Cana's news? Standby for the update, and please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

With the Grand Magic Games now behind us, Sting and I were both happy to now be part of the best guild in Fiore. I had fulfilled my goal of proving my strength against my old guild, and I felt stronger than ever. Of course, I hadn't been using the Shadow Stone much because of Darkrai's power. It was too risky to really use in everyday battles, since the Grand Magic Games didn't allow anyone to be killed.

Aside from that, Wendy and Carla had also joined Sabertooth. I was glad that they had joined over to my new guild, especially since I didn't see Fairy Tail as a fun place with Lisanna in it. She would probably want revenge on me for what happened in the tag battle, but I didn't want to even see her face. I was still disguised as Serena, however, so no one besides Cana, Wendy, and Carla knew about my identity.

Right now, Wendy was visiting Fairy Tail to see Cana about something important. I was currently eating waffles for breakfast in my new apartment at Hotel Richissime, and my waffles were covered in maple syrup. They tasted great and were warm after I had gotten them out of the toaster, and I smiled happily while using a fork and knife to cut up my waffles into eatable pieces.

Sting told me with a calm facial expression while he ate some waffles as well, smirking a bit like he had a great idea of some kind, "Hey, Lucy. On the way to your apartment, I stopped by the guild. There were many jobs on the request board, but nothing really looked appealing to me. We've gathered all the stones, so it doesn't look like we'll be on any kind of quest anytime soon. We should try and relax today, if that's all right with you."

"That's fine with me, Sting. If there are no good jobs today, there's nothing we can do about that. We should just use this time to have a calm vacation, if Master Jiemma will allow us to do that." I replied with a nice smile on my face, totally ready to relax with Sting and be at the beach.

He continued on while looking pretty happy at my decision, enchanting me with his blue eyes again, "That's a pretty good plan, honestly. I didn't even have a clue about where we would be going, so you can decide where the Excess Express will take us. It can go to any other extravagant town, or even a normal town like Magnolia. Although, it only stopped there by accident. Normal trains can reach here as well, but it takes a lot longer with different routes."

At that moment, I really had to give it some thought. Where could Sting and I go for some relaxation? I wanted it to be romantic, but I wanted Wendy and Rogue to join us. After all, they were the new nakama of my crew. It would be wrong to not include them, but did picking up Wendy mean that I had to go to Fairy Tail? That was something I really didn't want to do, but I also knew Wendy would be back at Sabertooth soon.

I got out my pink case of elemental stones from the left pocket of my blue jeans, seeing them all look shiny, and I had to bring them along in case Sting and I encountered any enemies. Still, where in the world could Sting and I go? There had to be a relaxing and romantic place for us to spend some time together, or did it have to really be fancy? After all, we lived in quite an extravagant town.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail... (Mira's POV)**

Natsu had been acting really bitter about Fairy Tail's loss to Sabertooth, and Lisanna was trying her best to calm him down ever since yesterday. He wasn't taking it too well, being outclassed by that girl named Serena Fennekin, but he had to learn how to forgive people. It wasn't exactly healthy to hold grudges, and karma had actually bit him in the butt for talking bad about Lucy behind her back.

Come to think of it, her long disappearance had me really worried. Jenny said that she had been on the Excess Express train when it went to Lumiose Town, but she could've gone even further out. I felt so bad about what happened, with the persecution of Lucy and all, and it was all because of Team Natsu saying how Lucy had to be gone for good. That was so horrible, and I wanted to make things right with her. Where could she be, though?

"Mira, what is the matter? Why do you look so down? Is everything all right?" Master Makarov asked me with a kind smile on his face, drinking some beer from a mug in front of him while he sat on the barstool.

I exclaimed in surprise, my blue eyes widening a bit, "Master Makarov! You've returned from your long investigation of the elemental stones in the Sinnoh region! I haven't seen you around in so long, and we all thought you were gone forever!"

He chuckled a bit, looking really happy that his children protected the Fairy Tail guild, making it more difficult to tell him the news about Lucy. How could I even tell him that we all tried to hunt her down and also target a girl for her elemental stones? This was all Team Natsu's fault, though. They told Lucy to leave Magnolia, or they would hunt her down. She had left, from what Jenny told me while I remembered that night, so she had no right to be hunted down. It wasn't fair to her, and she probably hated us all.

I still looked pretty glum, not even smiling at the fact that Lucy had left her keys here, and I closed my eyes tightly while trying to get the worst case scenario out of my mind. Lucy had to still be alive somewhere, or at least leave a clue for us to find her. Gray had even searched through Lumiose and its surrounding routes, but he found nothing. How could I tell Master Makarov that Lucy had disappeared, leaving us without any clues at all?

The fact that Erza was so stupid to search the nearby towns first had really been eating away at me, making me clench my fists in anger at the thought of what could've happened if we went further out first to really make an effort to try and find her. Without her keys, Lucy would be totally defenseless out there. I couldn't stand the thought of Lucy being cold, scared, or even lost somewhere! This was all because of Natsu cheating on Lucy, and he needed to take some responsibility for his actions.

"NATSU, COME HERE!" I yelled out furiously with some tears in my eyes, alerting everyone in the guild to me. Wendy had even came for a visit, and now she was seeing my bad side.

Natsu asked me while looking at me with a pretty blank stare, blinking his eyes a bit, "What is it, Mira? What did I do?"

"You know what you and your team did, Natsu! You forced a fellow guild member to head for the hills, and we haven't heard from her in months! Lucy could be dead somewhere, for all we know, and you guys idly sit by while Gray's the only one who really put an effort into searching for Lucy! He went all the way out to Lumiose, Elfman went far in the mountains, Jet and Droy searched all over Kanto and Johto, but you and Erza have done absolutely nothing at all to help the situation!" I shouted at him with a stern facial expression, knowing he caused this.

Natsu replied in a somewhat serious tone, his blank stare turning into a glare, "Erza told that ice stripper to search in Lumiose Town, but he found nothing. Didn't Elfman and the others also find absolutely nothing? Gosh, Mira. There's no point in searching for Lucy if there's not even a single clue about her. I'll admit that we hunted her down, but we didn't find her. You can't find what's obviously not there, Mira. Jeez."

I was about to counter his statement, but Master gave me a look that told me that he would handle it. I had to believe that Lucy was still out there somewhere, being safe, and I kept trying my best to drift my thoughts away from the worst possibilities of where she could be. Jenny had mentioned the Excess Express going to only extravagant towns and how Lucy learned Transformation Magic to be in disguise, but that wouldn't stop my hopes at all.

Master Makarov replied for me, chuckling a bit while closing his eyes and making his left hand bigger to grab Natsu by his scarf, "Ever since I left Erza in charge, things have definitely changed. Tell me, Natsu. Fairy Tail doesn't give up in a guild war, we don't give up in the face of adversity, and there is no such thing as a job being too difficult to handle. Have you given up because you hate Lucy, or are your eyes too clouded by doubt and hidden worry for YOU to see past the obvious? Saying that there are no clues is a very absurd thing to say, since you can't see into the future. A clue may show up in 10 minutes, or even tomorrow."

His words were definitely encouraging, and Master was right. We couldn't give up hope, especially when many of the places we visited could still be holding hidden clues about Lucy. She had to be out there somewhere, and I was going to find her. Of course, forcing her to come back wouldn't be pleasing to either of us. I had to think of reasonable things that could be said for Lucy to come back home, but I had to find her first.

I transformed into an extremely fast Latias, zooming out of the guild and heading all the way to Lumiose Town, hoping to find Lucy. On the way there, I noticed a woman wearing a black T-shirt and a white miniskirt. She seemed to be walking towards the Fairy Tail guild, possibly wanting to join, and it really would be nice to get a little more help on the search for Lucy. (That's Vivian, if you don't know.)

* * *

**At the Sabertooth guild... (Sting's POV)**

Lucy and I currently had no cash whatsoever, so we did have to go out on a little job. We were currently in front of the request board, looking for a good job to take, and something really surprised both of us. Well, it probably surprised me more than it surprised Lucy. Team Flare had addressed another job to Lucy a.k.a. Serena, making me wonder why their attention was now on her.

She also looked pretty shocked by the appearance of this orange flyer, and I certainly hoped we wouldn't be cleaning up more of their dirty work. Whatever they wanted with Lucy had to be pretty big, since I remembered Furea having all eight elemental stones. Why not use her, then? Why did they want Lucy? She had something that they wanted, but what could it be?

Speaking of the stones, I had done some research into that mega evolution stuff that Electra once told us about. It not only enhances the moves, but the user can change their appearance as well. However, while in mega evolution form, no other stones can be used. That was pretty risky, but it would be kind of nice to give Lucy a little more power.

"Sting, what should we do? Should we take the job? It looks really dangerous, especially coming from Team Flare." Lucy told me with an uncomfortable facial expression, knowing those guys weren't exactly people that she could easily defeat.

"Apparently, this member of their organization wants to meet with us at Mt. Moon in the Kanto Region. This job involves helping them capture Clefairy for the purpose of gathering Psychic Magic for them to use as energy, and their going to evolve Clefairy into Clefable to extract their energy even further." I told Lucy, not even wanting to take the job myself.

What was Team Flare thinking? Did they seriously expect us to do their dirty work like a bunch of servants with free time? There was no way that I'd do the job, and I narrowed my blue eyes while unpinning the flyer from the request board before crumbling it up and throwing it into the trash can nearby. Seriously, did they believe that hurting those creatures was a good thing? It really wasn't.

Lucy happily smiled at what I just did, kissing my left cheek softly, and she gave me a confident look while getting another flyer and reading it to herself before showing it to me. This job seemed pretty interesting, even though we'd be taking a train instead of a boat, but the reward was 250,000 jewels. We had a pretty rich client, and this job would seem pretty easy without having to hear nonsense about changing the world or extracting power.

We were about to share a kiss, since Lucy picked such an easy yet well-paying job, but a certain someone teleported in between both of us. Minerva gave us both an evil smirk, wanting to interrupt us like she always did, and she clung to me tightly with her right breast nudging against my right arm. I tried my best not to blush, but what in the world was she doing?

"Sting, you and Serena always go out on jobs alone together. I've seen you both leaving the guild while holding hands, and it makes me wonder if you spend your time smooching instead of actually getting the jobs done. As I'm still the top-ranked female in Sabertooth, I think I'll join in on this little job. It won't take long with the three of us, Sting." Minerva told me in a flirtatious tone, her right hand softly caressing my cheek while she blinked her green eyes at me.

Lucy a.k.a. Serena retorted loudly, clinging to my other arm with her left breast nudging against my left arm, "I'm on this mission too, Minerva. Me and MY boyfriend, Sting. We'll be doing the job, and you don't need to come along at all. You're just going to get in the way, and ruin everything. We don't need your help at all, so kindly leave us alone before I make you."

"Face it, Serena. All you do is kiss and cuddle with Sting. You aren't able to escalate with him at all, and he needs a woman who can really give him what he needs to be given. You can't pleasure him at all, but when we dated... He loved me so much. You're just the new girlfriend, so you stay out of my way. If you don't, I'll gladly kill you and remind you of the noxious gas that almost knocked you out back at the bathhouse in Glitz Town."

Lucy and Minerva kept shooting glares at each other while we were walking out of Sabertooth towards my destination, and I was going to kill Orga since my enhanced hearing allowed me to hear him say something about me having a threesome while I could see him snickering with Rufus. Now that the Grand Magic Games were over, I knew these two would continue their rivalry.

Thankfully, while they were busy getting ready to possibly have another catfight, I motioned for Lector, Frosch, and Rogue to join me. After all, doing the job and taking care of these two women just made this task go from easy to hard. If Minerva still loved me, she really needed to stop and accept that I was with Lucy. Unfortunately, knowing how relentless she was, she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted...

* * *

**Back at Fairy Tail... (Vivian's POV)**

What a nice little guild of people. I had walked in a few moments earlier to see them brawling over nonsense, and they had all been frozen in their fighting stances when they saw me come through Fairy Tail's entrance doors. Of course, I couldn't use my real name. That would be far too simple, and I would just be known as the new girl who was in Fairy Tail.

Everyone had their eyes on me, most likely waiting for me to speak, and I had used my Psychic Magic to communicate with Team Flare back in Lumiose Town through a spell known as Mind Transfer. This spell allowed them to temporarily see through my eyes, seeing what part of our plan was being started, and I simply had to pick the fairies off one by one.

"It's very nice to meet you, new girl! I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer! It's always good to have new friends to fight with, and welcome to Fairy Tail!" The pink-haired mage told me with a silly grin on his face, chuckling a bit while his eyes scanned me from head to toe.

This guy was really weird, to be honest, and I knew he was pretty dense from the information I had gathered by putting a little bit of black mist into the air around the members of Team Natsu. (This was prior to Chapter 1, more like the prologue of how the OOCness began.) They had been investigating the Chroma Ruins, hearing about Team Flare's plan of resurrecting the dark queen with enough Shadow Stones at our disposal, and we had used the black mist from Murkrow and Honchkrow to alter their personalities and erase their memories of knowing what had happened when I beat them all in a fight with my Darkrai Magic.

Nobody even had a clue about our plan now, but only the girl with a pure heart could fully use the elemental stones and make us have the legendary power that was wielded by the ancestor of Lucy Heartfilia. She was a mere descendant, but my espionage with my Darkrai Magic let me know that Serena Fennekin was also of pure heart. However, an expert villain such as myself wouldn't make such a novice move to reveal anything big like that to these worrying fairies. I just had to manipulate them, one by one.

"You're really cute, Natsu. You're such a handsome young man with such a fiery personality, and a woman like me might need a strong man like you to protect me. After I do have a little task that needs to be done. Will you accompany me on this job, you cutie? I would really value your assistance." I told him in a sultry manner, caressing his left cheek gently before planting a soft kiss on his lips.

Natsu began to blush, becoming lost in my red eyes, but Lisanna had taken the bait. She angrily stood up with a death glare on her face, furious at me for showing my manipulative love, and she was probably going to help me with the task. I didn't even have anything that really needed to be done, but these stupid fairies could easily fall for ruses of any kind.

"I'll take that job with you, new girl! Keep your hands off of Natsu, or I'll scratch your eyes out! He is my boyfriend, so back off!" Lisanna exclaimed while walking towards me, ready to hit me if she wanted to.

Honestly, she wouldn't be able to hit me. My Darkrai Magic could create attacks from shadows, make dark voids that put opponents to sleep, give them hellish nightmares, and I could even alter memories while taking away shadows as well. Rogue Cheney never had a sister, and this name was made up by me. Team Flare will control the world and eventually test the fated hero, but the pawns must always be the first to go.

After all, from what we learned while having surveillance on Serena, Lisanna Strauss has a big connection with Lucy Heartfilia. If she wants to come on this "mission" with me, I have to get that connection out of her. Every little tidbit of information would be useful to the plan, especially since it was getting close to true fruition...

* * *

**How was the 28th chapter? Since this is the "Stone History Arc" prologue, I won't reveal much about it. Each chapter will reveal the origin of each stone, though, and how the power was made. Lucy will get upgrades in this StiCy, though, I'll say that. The chapters will get longer, as more of the plot unfolds! Please read and review, and let me know your thoughts on this!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the anime, manga, or any of its characters. I also do not own anything referencing Pokémon, either.**

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Sting, Minerva, Rogue, and I were all currently taking the train to a place known as Poshley Town. Frosch, Lector, Froakie, Fennekin, and Chespin had also come with us but Sting kept the three strange creatures in their Poké Balls to not make things too crowded. He had given Flabébé to Rufus, since it tended to disobey him at times. Still, did Minerva have to join me and Sting on this job?

She had made me sit next to her, most likely not wanting me next to Sting, and she seriously had to get over her jealousy. Sting was dating me now, and I actually treated him better than she did. At least I didn't separate him from Lector to win the Grand Magic Games, and I didn't resort to dirty tactics to get what I wanted. She was up to something, and I wanted to find out what it was.

However, I also had to keep my mind on the job. In Poshley Town, we supposedly had to go to the sanctum and just guard an item from thieves. That seemed really simple, and I highly doubted that anything bad could happen. After all, the item was known as the Mega Dawn. It seemed pretty important, but it didn't sound all that valuable. Would anyone try getting to it?

"Try not to screw up this mission, Serena. Actually, if you do, I can take all of the credit when the job is seen as a complete success." Minerva told me in a condescending tone, smirking at me like I was lower than her.

"I was the one who picked out the mission, so you shouldn't try to hold me back." I retorted fiercely, power building up in my violet eyes while I frowned at Minerva and had the thought of crushing her into dust.

However, we were both interrupted by groans from Sting and Rogue. They were both sitting across from us, looking utterly sick with their faces turning green, and I used the Cosmic Hearts spell to heal them. Much to my surprise, this weak spell from the Dawn Stone was really strong. It produced many pink hearts in the air above Sting and Rogue, before the hearts all popped to let pink dust fall down on to the dragon slayers. A pink aura surrounded both of their bodies, instantly curing their motion sickness like Wendy's Troia spell, and this spell's upgrade made me curious.

Ever since I had gotten stronger with fusion spells, did my basic spells evolve as well? I would test them out one day, but probably not on this job. It may not have called for any fighting to be done, since all we had to do was guard a stone known as the Mega Dawn, and I wondered if the sanctum would be a sacred place. Poshley Town was an extravagant place like Lumiose, making me feel a bit more safe about going there.

Speaking of going to places, I had to wonder how Wendy's visit to Fairy Tail was going. Was she okay, and was the guild being rowdy like a bunch of hooligans? Were Lisanna and Natsu continuing to make out, having their smooch sessions in public?

* * *

**At the Poshley Sanctum... (Lisanna's POV)**

Aside from not liking Lucy, the new girl was much worse for kissing Natsu in front of me. She was very lucky that I took this job with her, or I'd be beating the crap out of her right now. She kissed my boyfriend in front of me, and she had the nerve to want to join Fairy Tail? This girl was an even bigger idiot than Lucy, especially since she didn't even argue about me tagging along with her instead of Natsu. She told me that her name was Cheri, and that name was disgusting.

We were currently in a white building known as Poshley Sanctum, a large building with tiled flooring and an elegant pink carpet that led to a small round pedestal where a pink star-shaped stone was situated while it was glittery as well. Getting close to it with my eyes twinkling, I wanted to touch the stone and claim this valuable treasure for myself. Cheri may have taken this job, but beautiful jewels like this looked fascinating on a sexy girl like me.

However, as my left hand moved closer to the stone, Cheri grabbed me by my right arm and pulled me backwards. She wanted me to get away from the stone, but I definitely didn't take orders from someone who wasn't even a mage. She wasn't going to stop me from getting my hands on this pretty gem, and it would definitely be mine in the end.

"Oh, I see. You're jealous of me having the stone, Cheri. It will be mine, so butt out." I told her with an evil look in my blue eyes, going into my Animal Soul: Tigress Take-Over while I smiled.

"You stupid girl. The stone is not meant for you at all, and you must die here." Cheri told me with a smirk on her face, having some kind of plan.

Why had she not asked Natsu to come with her? He could've gladly helped her, but why take me? I wouldn't exactly be of any help if we had fire enemies, and now she wanted to kill me? I ran towards her at high speeds, ready to slash at her, but Cheri had disappeared from my view. I turned around quickly to see her fire a spiraling black beam of energy from her left palm, and it sent me sliding backwards.

That attack had just grazed my back, but it did feel powerful. Cheri quickly jumped into the air, and she used a spell similar to Serena's. It was known as Darkrai's Night Stars, causing her to have five star-shaped black projectiles in each hand. She threw them all at me, but I was quick enough to dodge them all. I noticed that the projectiles left black streak trails behind in midair, and they suddenly came back around towards me.

I kept being agile, dodging all the stars, but they detonated in midair when they all surrounded me! The black blasts hit me with tremendous force, sending me crashing into the tiled floor, and I groaned in agony from taking such a powerful attack. However, I quickly got up to try and slash at her once more. She disappeared into the shadow of a window, before reappearing behind me and delivering a harsh kick to my back.

I was sent stumbling towards the window, panting heavily, and I wondered what Vivian wanted from me. What had I done to make her have a truly evil side, or was she just evil? However, I had to stay alive for Natsu's sake. He needed me, and he was my boyfriend. He saw that I was better for him than that trashy whore named Lucy, and I would prove it by beating Cheri right now.

Giving her a fierce look while I saw her standing near the stone, I lunged at her once more. However, she stepped aside and let two of my sharp nails be stuck in the cracks of the pedestal. Cheri then unleashed many black needles from her mouth, creating miniature explosions while they hit me with great force, and I got my hand out of the pedestal while falling over on my butt. My Lacrima Communication Crystal wasn't even turned on, so I couldn't contact Natsu to warn him of this woman.

"What's your motive, Cheri? Why do you want Natsu and the stone?" I asked her while struggling to stand up, bleeding badly from my left shoulder.

"It's none of your concern, Lisanna. You pawns have been getting in the way of Team Flare's grand plan for far too long, and it's about time that you be put to rest." Cheri told me with an evil look in her red eyes, making a sword from shadows while she deviously smiled, before stabbing me in the right arm with it. The pain really hurt, especially since this was dark power, and it reminded me of the tag battle against Serena.

Team Flare was behind this, right? They wanted the stone, but why? I couldn't even think while Vivian wasted no time stabbing me, making me lose my energy, and I could barely even lift a single finger. I managed to tap the Lacrima Communications Crystal with my right foot, but it needed time to turn on. Cheri then kicked me aside, giggling evilly.

"You're nothing more than pawns that are expendable, and they get thrown out. I wonder if that brings back any memories for you." She told me with an emotionless frown, making two more shadows turned into fanged mouths that bit down on both of my hands to pin them against the ground. The pain was really hurting, and tears began to fall from my eyes.

I see what was going on now. This was probably the rest of my karma for what I had done to Lucy, and it really was painful. I admit to being Natsu's mistress, but he loved me. I also loved him, and Lucy was weak. She probably wasn't even alive anymore, so apologizing would never be an option. I couldn't even breathe from the tension getting thicker, and I wish Mira-nee could save me.

Cheri couldn't stop being relentless, making shadows pull me up into the air, and they brutally constricted me. I could feel my bones breaking a bit, and she released me quickly to see fall to the ground with a hard thud. I made cracks in the sanctum's floor, and blood trickled down my body. She was mercilessly beating me, not even letting me rest while she grabbed me by my right leg, and she spun me around at high speeds.

She sent me smashing into a wall, and then Cheri evilly glared at me while appearing out of my shadow from behind to punch me in the neck. It hurt so badly, and her shadow fists from in front were just making it worse when they were pounding against my stomach. I couldn't even catch my breath, since Cheri was throwing me around the sanctum like a weakling.

"Please... stop..." I begged while falling to my knees, trembling from pure fear, and still seeing the Lacrima Communications Crystal charging up.

"I will never relent against the trash, especially since Fairy Tail is in the way of Team Flare. You'll stop our plans." Cheri told me while snickering evilly, putting her hands together while exhaling black smoke from her mouth.

Before I could even lift a finger, she fired a black ring of shadow energy at the ground next to me. At first, I thought that nothing would be happening from her misdirected attack. However, in an instant, a black portal expanded outward with the power of sucking in its target. Its shadowy force broke the glass windows, sending the fragments into the hole, and the shadow hole had already consumed me by my legs.

I tried my best to crawl away, but the shadow's force was way too strong. I regretted how I had treated Lucy, and all that I could hear was Cheri's evil laughter while she kept looking down at me like I was worthless garbage. I was really scared of what was in that shadowy void, if anything was there at all, and I heard Cheri's footsteps walk towards me and the shadow hole.

"Are you frightened with fear, Lisanna? You should be, since this spell is Shadow Implosion. Once you're fully into the hole of darkness, it shall close and explode to make you finally meet the end that trash like you deserves. Getting in the way of Team Flare is certainly a bad thing to do, and you fairies will receive the consequences for meddling in our affairs." Cheri told me with a vicious smile on her face, watching the shadowy hole expand more to swallow me up.

Suddenly, the Lacrima Communications Crystal turned on while emitting a blue glow. I could see a hologram of Natsu coming into view, and he knew that I only used this in emergencies to contact him. However, the shadowy hole only left my neck and upwards visible. I had to make this fast, especially since Cheri turned into a shadow and left the sanctum.

"Lisanna, what's up?" He asked curiously, looking around with a smile to see where Cheri and I had gone to.

"Natsu, listen to me! The truth is in Cheri's eyes! Look at her eyes! Don't-!" I screamed frantically, before the shadowy hole made me sink down into it and swallowed me with darkness taking all the light away from my eyes. I could feel myself falling into darkness, getting farther away from the sanctum's light, and I began to hear and feel devastating explosions transpire around me.

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**An hour later... (Lucy's POV)**

We arrived at Poshley Sanctum to see it in a complete mess with broken windows, cracks in the tiled floor, and it looked like someone had recently been here. There had to be a scuffle of some kind, but why would the thieves fight amongst themselves? It really didn't make much sense to me, especially since anyone of them could've had the treasure. What was going on?

I smelled something like angel food cake, similar to the perfume that Lisanna wore, but she couldn't have been here. She didn't come alone, did she? Aside from my assumptions, I noticed a glittery pink star-shaped object on the round pedestal on the other side of the sanctum. It had remained intact for quite a while, it seemed, and the supposed scuffle didn't damage it at all.

Feeling curious, I brought out the Dawn Stone while smiling a bit. The pink star-shaped stone, the Mega Dawn, glowed in accordance with my stone. I noticed it radiating with a pink light, and it unleashed a pink beam of light at my Dawn Stone. This beam didn't damage it all, and it was more like a transfer of power. My violet eyes widened in amazement, wondering what had just occurred right before my eyes.

"Hey, guys. Look at this." Lector told us with a curious facial expression, tapping the Lacrima Communications Crystal on the floor to turn it on.

When the Lacrima Communications Crystal turned on, we were all surprised to see the face of Natsu Dragneel while we all walked up to it to see the hologram. Why was Natsu being contacted, and who had been contacting him? This was a real puzzle, but maybe we could be able to ask him.

"Hey, Lisanna? What do you mean by the truth is in the eyes?" Natsu asked while looking around, before being shocked to see that Sabertooth had contacted him.

So Lisanna was here...

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**How was the 29th chapter? Sorry if it's short, but it's for suspense. Lisanna has been killed off in this story, since it is coming to its end pretty soon. There will be more StiCy in the story, too! Stick around for more action, and please review for the next update!**


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